Charity begins at home

January 5, 2005

Dear Sir,

Hats off to the Bermudian community for donating $250,000 to the tsunami victims ... but let's not forget we have victims also. It's a sad situation when we can open our hearts to help others and ignore our own.

I'm saddened at the thought of the Bermudian community turning their backs on the recent victims in St. David's, the Foggo, family who also need the Bermudian community's financial help.

Come on Bermuda show some love on a large scale! And, yes, I made a donation earlier.

GEORGE BURCHER

St. David's

Governance the key

January 10, 2004

Dear Sir,

The case for independence cannot be made by:

1. The hoisting of a National Flag

2. The singing of a National Song

3. The discussion of a thoroughly researched paper on independence

... but by plain old fashion good governance!

When the people of this country feel that the issues they believe to be pertinent are being properly addressed by their elected representatives they will be more than ready for that step.

RECMAN

Devonshire

Britain puts itself first

January 10, 2004

Dear Sir,

I have been giving a great deal of thought, as most people know, about this Independence issue for Bermuda.

Many of those who oppose Independence have talked about the relationship Bermuda has with UK and why we should maintain this tie but I think it is time to really evaluate this relationship and determine what if any advantage the relationship gives to Bermuda.

Consider the following when deciding how important Bermuda is to the U.K:

1) When Bermuda, along with other non-income tax jurisdictions, was blacklisted by the Financial Actions Task Force (FATF), an un-elected subsidiary of the Group of Seven (G-7) and the Organisation of Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) and was forced to implement financial transaction legislation, including anti-money laundering and know your customer rules that are significantly more stringent than those of any of the OECD member countries in order to be removed from this blacklisting. The UK, which is an OECD member country, did not offer any support nor fight for Bermuda or any of its other territories.

2) During the lead-up to the recent US Presidential elections John Kerry made remarks of his intend to put an end to offshore tax havens and specifically mentioned Bermuda because as he claims the US is losing billions of dollars in income tax, there was not a word from the British Government.

Under our current constitution the UK is responsible for our External Affairs but clearly before it concerns itself with our external affairs it will make certain that our affairs do not hamper with its own external relationships. So clearly those who wish for Bermuda to remain a dependent territory have no concerns with the UK not supporting Bermuda on the international stage when it really matters. Is this really in the best interest of Bermuda?

In reality what does the UK do for Bermuda that we cannot do for ourselves? The UK offers no economic advantage to Bermuda and offers no financial support. The International Business sector does not exist in Bermuda because it is a dependent territory, it exists because of sound legislation, because there is no income tax and because there is economic and political stability. There is nothing to evidence that this would change after Independence because we are economically independent and aside from three areas we are politically independent.

Many people have brought up the issue of the right to work and reside in the UK and by extension in the EU. How does this differ from the relationship that citizens of a country such as the Bahamas enjoy? There are probably more Bahamians who have been to school, particularly law school, in the UK and there are probably more Bahamians who currently live and work in the UK and within the EU.

I would be very interested to have Mr. Michael Marsh and Mr. Bill Cox, specifically comment on these matters.

GUILDEN M. GILBERT, JR.

Nassau, Bahamas

A way to safer driving

January 7, 2005

Dear Sir,

In mid-December 2004, you published a letter entitled "Make roads safer" by "Vox Orientalis" of St George's. It contained a brace of excellent ideas, shared, we suspect, by many of your readers.

Those measures would certainly help to combat the overconfidence, discourtesy and defective driving habits that daily imperil our roads. Hardly a day goes by without your newspaper, among others, reporting an addition to the litany of complaints and collisions, accompanied by the horrifying visual evidence. Regrettably, it seems that even the standards of most Emergency Service drivers have reached their nadir.

However, help is at hand. Your readers may like to know that the educational body mentioned at the end of Vox Orientalis' letter ? the Bermuda Institute of Advanced Motorists (more briefly, "BIAM") ? is indeed alive and well. BIAM has in fact been thriving for over 30 years. The Institute actively contributes to Bermuda's road safety lobby and our chairman sits on and advises the Road Safety Council Committee.

BIAM also teaches drivers the practical skills of survival and anticipation, when they are willing and ready to step up to the challenge. Our website ? www.biam.bm ? provides free guidance and tips for better and safer driving, publicises our bimonthly events and shows our affiliations to similar international bodies throughout the world. The Bermuda White and Yellow Pages will also list BIAM in 2005, in the Associations & Clubs Section.

The Institute runs two Advanced/Defensive Courses each year in the spring and late autumn, which teach Advanced/Defensive Driving techniques and standards as a prerequisite of taking the advanced test. The rigours of our test makes the TCD Test pale in comparison. Passing the Advanced Test also entitles the Award holder to an additional ten percent discount over and above the No Claims Bonus, with four of the Island's leading insurance companies.

A driver who passes the Advanced Test is not only safer and more courteous but can control a vehicle to the highest international standards and whose vehicle sympathy, as it is known, results in considerably lower vehicle maintenance and fuel costs. These and many other benefits were also explained to the Forum on Fleet Safety in 2004, attended by heavyweights from Bermuda's Fleet Management community, and arranged by the Road Safety Council.

BIAM is a vibrant educational body whose role in, and practical contribution to, the current road safety debate, should be self-evident. We look forward to hearing both from your readers and the relevant Government Ministers who have the courage to step up to the better driving challenge by taking the Advanced Test.

ROGER KENDALL

Chairman

CHRIS MAIDEN

Secretary

Positive Police news

January 6, 2005

Dear Sir,

It appears your paper is starting 2005 just as it left 2004; with headline grabbing negative reporting. So what if someone got hit by a machete? You carry a story on that weekly! As much as I hate to admit it, there may be an element of truth to the lament of Government leaders when they claim the Gazette focuses on the negative.

Your New Year's Eve front page collage said it all with pictures of criminals including those Wellington Oval thugs so prominently featured. The only picture of interest in the whole lot was that of the late Finance Minister.

In late November of last year the Bermuda Police Service proudly rolled out their latest batch of new Bermudian officers. We searched the press for some account of this but there was never a press mention or article, despite your office being advised of the graduation ceremony directly by the Police Media relations office. It seems at that time your paper focused on some convict idiot who got tortured rather than promoting a good news article on aspiring young Bermudian Police recruits.

So belated congratulations to all the graduates for their hard work and best wishes for their future careers.

Finally, if one wants tabloid type reporting we no longer need to get American news, the Bermuda version is just as bad. We'll be saving our .75 cents a day this year.

FLATTS LIBERATION PARTY

A waste of resources

This was sent to Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations and copied to The Royal Gazette

January 8, 2005

Dear Mr. Annan,

The tragedy of the tsunami in Asia and the ensuing devastation is a concern of the whole world. I realise you have gone to Asia with the right intentions, however, I do question a number of things being done and trust that should there be any further disasters at a later date, we will learn from these lessons.

I do not feel that US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Mr. J. Bush should have gone to the area. There are security concerns and the helicopters used to fly them around the region and, for that matter, your good self, should have been utilised for assistance to the affected areas. Money spent by these teams could be put to better use. The United Nations is headquartered in New York and you have representatives in all parts of the world. They can report back and decisions can be made in New York without adding to the problems in the affected areas.

The news media, although I am sure they would not welcome these suggestions, are also stretching the infrastructure. The time is here when the various networks such as ABC, CBC, NBC, BBC, CNN, FOX to name just a few, should split up the area and send just one team in from each network to different areas and share the footage. All of the cameramen and women, reporters and associated crew have to be ferried and fed. I consider this to be a waste of resources.

Communications in this day and age are instantaneous and the presence of high profile personnel is not warranted.

ANTONY SIESE

City of Hamilton