Term limits could well be one of the key fault lines between the political forces vying for power in the upcoming general election.But at least one ruling party candidate is conceding that Government may want to consult again and have another look at the policy.“There needs to be a collaborative effort among all key stakeholders within this community (Cabinet, Government Ministries, political parties, Union, International Business, local business owners, etc) to come together and discuss the existing policy as it relates to their respective interests,” he said.“Once every stakeholder’s views have been expounded, the government of the day will be tasked to revisit its Term Limits policy and if they deem it effective and equitable then it remains.“If the policy is proved with accompanying data to be counterproductive then the government should be invited to tweak the policy with a view to ensure confidence within its working population that its citizens will not be disadvantaged when competing with a guest worker for a job.”As a candidate for Pembroke South West, Constituency 20, Marcus Jones has a clear view of the divide.The district, a traditional safe seat for the opposition, now takes in parts of North Hamilton where a considerable amount of low to middle income and working class people live, as well as more wealthy enclaves like Point Shares and Fairylands.“You can imagine the wide gap that exists in the opinions regarding term limits,” Mr Jones told The Royal Gazette.“It is quite normal for me during one session of canvassing to meet a Bermudian carpenter or accountant who has been made redundant, who has been unsuccessfully seeking employment while observing guest workers gainfully employed in their field, and on the other hand meet a resident who can give me a story of an exempt company who has packed up and left the Island because of their perception of a hostile immigration policy that prohibits them from running their business free of government intervention in the form of ‘Term Limits’.”The term limits policy restricts work permit holders to six years on the Island, under normal circumstances. But a three-year extension is available if an employer makes the case that the employee is key.Employers deemed to be good corporate citizens are also exempt from the policy which is intended to encourage employers to make genuine efforts to recruit and train Bermudians.Normal procedures, such as advertising requirements, apply for work permit renewal applications.The policy took effect in 2001 and there was little overt opposition from the business community when it was announced that year.But as the country headed toward a general election in 2003, this newspaper began reporting that the policy was causing considerable anxiety within the business community, with some companies suggesting they would leave the Island if it wasn’t scrapped.The United Bermuda Party, the Official Opposition at the time campaigned against it, promising to scrap the policy if elected.By the 2007 election, the UBP’s position had softened to a promise to “review” the policy.Now the Opposition One Bermuda Alliance proposes to suspend the policy for two years if elected to Government.“Right now the situation is clear from our contacts with so-called job creators that term limits has destroyed jobs,” said Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards last night.“So our position is to suspend it for two years.”Many of the same MPs that fought the last two elections under the UBP banner are now seeking to retain their seats as OBA members.But Mr Richards would not discuss the reasons for the shift in emphasis.Ruling party candidate Walton Brown said the OBA’s position is an attempt not to alienate the sympathies of those who support term limits as the election looms.But he added that suspending the policy is tantamount to abolishing it as it would be unlikely to be reactivated once suspended.“The OBA does not want to look like a party that will do all things to placate the business community,” he said. “They need to appeal to the average man and woman.”Mr Jones may well be having to walk a similar fine line as he tries to persuade the voters of Pembroke South East to send him to parliament.He said an “unofficial” survey he conducted in the district showed that the majority are in favour of abolishing term limits.“And if elected it would be my responsibility to represent the interests of the entire electorate within Constituency 20.“But to simplify Bermuda’s Economic woes squarely on the shoulders of ‘Term Limits’ is short sighted and neglects the full picture.“To make the claim that Bermuda’s recession is 100 percent the fault of government policy is just as wrong a statement as saying that our economic challenges are 100 percent the fault of the worldwide recession. I believe both factors have contributed to the state of our economy. Our party is not perfect neither have we pretended to be.”Further, said Mr Jones, he “emphatically” disagrees with Larry Burchall’s contention that the term limits policy is “killing the economy”.Mr Burchall, who with former Premier Sir John Swan co-hosted a forum on the economy last week, argued that the country’s basic problem is that the residential population is on the decline.Mr Brown claims that the Burchall-Swan argument that term limits are “significantly responsible” for Bermuda’s economic challenges is based on “faulty data” and unsound research and politically driven.“There’s an attempt to create a sense of chaos,” he said. “The argument that our economy needs to make a recovery by expanding it to increase the number of persons (guest workers or guest visitors) to be active consumers within the economy is true,” said Marcus Jones.“How to do this will take ingenuity and a spirit of compromise from all sectors of the economy.“But I have yet to hear an argument that will convince me that removing the ‘Term Limits’ will effectively protect Bermudians from being displaced or being disadvantaged when applying for jobs when competing with guest workers. I welcome the discussion, wholeheartedly.”