Opposition leader Kim Swan is urging all Bermudians to embark on a letter-writing protest against Premier Ewart Brown.

Dr. Brown's attempt to oust Civil Service head Kenneth Dill, the loyalty oath he placed before Cabinet members, and his ban on his spokespeople speaking to Bermuda's only daily newspaper are "dictatorial and show an insecure state of mind", according to Mr. Swan.

He said in a statement: "We have come to a point where the politics of an individual is interfering with and subverting the good governance of the Country; where his take-no-prisoners style is now challenging the integrity of three pillars of a democratic society: the Constitution, the Civil Service and the free press.

"If his behaviour is not checked, Bermuda will slip further down a slope where the Government becomes the agent of one-man rule rather than community-based leadership; where its power can be used to strike down dissent, where hard-earned freedoms can be trampled upon.

"These actions run counter to Bermuda's political culture and its democratic aspirations."

Suggesting his plan of action, Mr. Swan went on: "All Bermudians should signal their opposition to the Premier's actions, whether by e-mail, letters to the editor or protest. Not only do they threaten the relationship between the Government and the individual citizen, but they are diverting attention from some of the most serious challenges facing the island in its modern history.

"Bermuda should not be made to suffer for the internal politics of the Premier and the PLP."

Mr. Swan said that by placing a loyalty oath in front of Ministers Dr. Brown showed he values loyalty to himself above loyalty to Bermuda.

"Each Government Minister under the Constitution signs an oath to act for the good management of the public affairs of Bermuda," said the United Bermuda Party leader.

"The Premier's oath, by definition, comes between each Minister and his or her constitutional oath. It should be resisted by all Ministers and it should be seen to be resisted by all Ministers. Bermuda must be their first loyalty, not Dr. Brown."

Regarding the Premier's instruction for his press secretary Glenn Jones and the Tourism press officer to avoid speaking to this newspaper and the Mid-Ocean News, Mr. Swan said: "What we are witnessing is the politics of scapegoating, an age-old tactic to divert attention and place the blame for failures onto a third party.

"We urge the Premier to man-up on this front; accept the conditions of a free press, as every other leader in a democracy does. Free societies are strengthened by a free press, just as they are weakened by a government that seeks to destroy a free press."