New monitoring of racial make-up of the workforce and tougher rules on work permits could be "a suicide note'' for Bermuda's booming offshore economy, Opposition Senate leader Maxwell Burgess warned yesterday.

And he said increases in Land Tax would also hurt international business, currently outperforming tourism as an earner for the Island.

But the claims were disputed by Government Sen. Michael Scott -- who said that the Progressive Labour Party was elected because people wanted a new way of doing things.

And he called on the Opposition to support Government's bid to improve Bermuda.

But Sen. Burgess said: "I don't mind if the Government wants to commit suicide -- I only get upset when they put the names of innocent Bermudians on that note.'' He added that a recent poll claimed support for PLP Premier Jennifer Smith was declining -- and insisted that his Senate statement that the country was "screaming'' for leadership was accurate.

Sen. Burgess said: "We need leadership, guidance and we need to make those who are feeding us at the moment feel that they want to be here -- and, more importantly, that we want them to be here.'' He added that he supported the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality -- but added that what worried him was the "execution'' of its mandate.

And Sen. Burgess said: "There are people in this country who create jobs and there are many more people who occupy jobs.

"When you put the creator of jobs further at risk, by extension you automatically put at risk these people who occupy these jobs.

"You don't make tourism better by trying to make international business sick.'' Sen. Burgess added: "It's the Minister of Finance who said we must become less reliant on international business. What I would have preferred to hear was that we must become more reliant on tourism.

"It sets the stage for the potential of pitting offshore business against tourism -- that would guarantee every single Bermudian suffers.'' Sen. Scott said: "Good relations in Bermuda will be a boon to the tourism product and the international business employer/employee relationship.

"I take great umbrage at ill-conceived and ill-advised statements -- suicide note was his characterisation -- totally ill-advised and inaccurate.

"The CURE legislation, the human rights legislation, the call for better regulation of immigration policies, they're all integrated.'' And he insisted the people of Bermuda wanted Government to "put Bermudians first'' -- which, he said, previous Governments had failed to do.

Sen. Scott added: "There certainly does appear to be a call for this administration to carry on business as usual and I reject that.

"We were put into power by the people of Bermuda to make changes. There are those who say the rate and pace of change could accelerate, quite frankly.''