The National Association of Reconciliation (NAR) would like to express its gratitude to all of those people who faithfully support our awards banquet year after year even when they are unable to attend. Their suppo rt is both important and encouraging. It is deeply appreciated.

We have, of course, already expressed our thanks to those who were present.

First of all there was our Speaker, Chris Dapena. We are grateful to her who, as the President of the Chamber of Commerce, put the spotlight on the issue of race relations.

Ms. Dapena made several points which we believe are worth repeating even if they are not new they take on a different significance and can, perhaps, be heard by a different audience since they are being stated by a member of the white community who is President of the Chamber of Commerce.

She suggested that our Community is like a family that has experienced abuse.

It cannot heal because the memory of that abusive past is being suppressed.

There must be permission to vent our feelings. However, there is the responsibility to do so in a productive way.

Since the formation of the NAR more than a decade ago, when the Government policy determined that to even raise the issue of race relations was itself racist, there has, in fact, been a great deal of discussion on race relations once the Government accepted a proposal made five years earlier and established the Human Affairs Ministry and CURE, thereby giving permission for race to be discussed. Very few whites, however, have taken part in the discussion publicly.

Because of Bermudians' distaste for direct confrontation, particularly where race is concerned, others have taken a different and softer approach to the issue. There was `Beyond Barriers' with its sporadic projects and the Diversity Institute, with far greater social standing, as a result of the support of the Bermuda College, NTL and the Business Community, both have had wider, but not more consistent, support from the white Community. But these three organisations have not yet come up with solutions that will make a significant impact on the economic gap between the black and white Communities. Perhaps only Government action under CURE can actually attempt that task. Ms Dapena stressed that we cannot do it alone and while we must individually look within our own hearts and consider our own actions, we must also do it with intent and collectively. Perhaps it is only human that even black Bermudians, although painfully aware of the socially destructive results of the past and can emote about it as at immigration meetings, very few of them are prepared to add to the stress of their daily lives by giving any really serious thought to addressing the issue in a consistent and ongoing fashion. It is not a priority on the agenda of very many Bermudians, black or white.

The NAR is also grateful to the members of the Diversity Institute who so willingly participated in our function in very significant ways. Undoubtedly, even with their social and financial success, they will face the same problem of Bermudians' lack of consistent commitment to solving these issues. The banquet was also an opportunity to express our deep appreciation to Belco for their support of the Richards Minors scholarship. It is perhaps the nature of our society that memorials established to the memory of those from other communities are well supported both financially and by the response of the schools to essay writing for scholarships. Without the support of Belco our dream of `memorialising' two worthy young men in the hope of inspiring other young people would have died on the vine. We welcomed the reminder by Mr.

Reginald Burrows MP that our struggle did not begin yesterday and the younger generation have no concept of the price paid by the older generation.

The NAR achieved an important objective when the former Government recognised the need to put race relations on its agenda by establishing the Human Affairs Ministry and CURE. We also believe that our awards banquet is of value as it recognises any organisation or individual who has done anything positive in regards to race relations, particularly when it is accompanied by someone reminding us, at the same time, that we still have a great deal to do if we ever hope to repair the damage of the abuse of our past. So we are extremely grateful to all of those people who, either year after year or even only on one occasion, have given up their evening to support our efforts. We are also very grateful to the various musicians who have entertained us, over the years, on that occasion.

We believe that Ms Dapena's remarks have challenged us to attempt to continue what we began by being a vehicle for interracial dialogue. Fortunately, we have continued to be truly interracial from the outset, although we have not maintained the two hundred membership with which we began. There may no longer be a need for the public Forums with which we began, but there may be a need for small face to face inter-racial groups where there can be both honest dialogue and a serious search for solutions to our social problems, beginning with the continued failure of the Government educational system, or our failure to rehabilitate our prisoners, by accepting the challenge to narrow the economic gap between the races and by attempting to solve the problems which are manifested in the behaviour of too many young black men. It may be that we need to turn to those who have received our award in the past in the hope that they may take even further initiative in helping to form these face to face small groups.

In any event we are grateful to Ms Dapena for reminding us that there are still other avenues through which we can continue the efforts which we began more than a decade ago.

NAR BANQUET COMMITTEE Learn the lesson January 22, 2001 Dear Sir, A Bermudian living in the Bahamas claims in a Letter to the Editor that the `best thing that ever happened' was independence. There is no way of knowing whether he was there at the time, or suffered the consequences, but from his comments it is most unlikely. Today, after many years of massively mounting debt and unemployment to match, the PLP government that took the Bahamas to independence, and effectively ran it into the ground, has been thrown out; sadly only after the damage was done. Mr. Ingraham's new government has been left with the mammoth task of digging the Bahamas out of the hole, and hopefully to an eventual recovery. God forbid that Bermuda is ever dragged through a similar wringer.

The writer further suggests that small Caribbean nations were `suppressed' by colonialism before independence and could not therefore develop to full potential. When `the best thing that ever happened' -- independence -- was achieved, we are supposed to believe that the sky was the limit.

It is suggested that a visit to the library will provide the truth. Rather than bore you with reams of facts, I selected just one of your correspondent's list of happy independent nations to the south of us and obtained a copy, from Jamaica itself, of `Jamaica Information', promotional material about the island. Jamaica is a good example because before 1962 when political independence was obtained, Jamaica included the adjacent Cayman Islands -- who rejected the idea of independence, preferring instead to remain a British colony. Comparisons of the outcome are instructive; quotes from `Jamaica Information' are included below in quotation marks.

After the momentary euphoria of independence, the PNP government, to satisfy impossible independence aspirations, "positioned the state in a leadership role'' in Jamaica's bauxite industry "rectifying the inherited economic inequalities.'' In the face of a weak market this recipe for disaster effectively decimated the aluminium companies' profitability and put paid to the industry there. As a result of this and other mismanagement, there was a euphemistically termed "reversal of capital inflows'' i.e., a run on the Jamaica dollar. While the few US dollars lasted, all funds that could be converted fled overseas. When the US dollars quickly ran dry, the Jamaican dollar became virtually worthless. To no one's surprise, this led to "a decline in the economy with attendant problems of unemployment, inflation and growing external indebtedness'' an understatement of staggering proportions.

Quoting again from Jamaica Information: "By the end of the decade, the government sought assistance from the IMF and the World Bank, and since then, these two institutions, along with USAID, have determined the policy framework of the government,'' So, not only had the government ruined the country, but also it had lost so-called `independence' to the financial dictates of New York and London. The result was dependence all over again, but without any of the benefits for Jamaica of the previous obligations and responsibilities born by the UK. Effectively, while London now provided money as a donor member of the IMF and the World Bank, it was now safely positioned to profit from investment if there was a profit, but no longer bound to prevent, or save Jamaicans from gross internal incompetence and ego trips, as was the obligation when the island was still formally dependent. So, instead of the working partnership, advice and guidance that had been provided absolutely free, the hard new rule, dictated by the money men of the Bank and the IMF was: You can talk all you like but you will do precisely as we say, or, no more money.

In 1962, at the time of independence, the Jamaica dollar was worth more than the US dollar. In fact, one Jamaica dollar equaled $1.20 US. Once independent, and as the grossly mismanaged economy progressively collapsed, the Jamaican currency collapsed with it. After thirty odd years of misery, poverty and chronic unemployment, the Jamaican dollar became worth, in essence, 2 1 US cents, about where it is today, and the island is only now, possibly, beginning to emerge from the wreckage. As Jamaican brains fled the country, "swelling the ranks of established overseas Jamaican communities, and creating new ones... (these) Jamaicans have been accumulating significant quantities of wealth in assets in the USA and other countries''. But, sadly, this is only minimally re-invested in Jamaica, and usually only as remittances to keep the body and soul of those less fortunate in the family, together.

Once burnt, twice shy. Once out, stay out.

In 1962, little more than a barren, mosquito infested reef compared with the beautiful and richly endowed Jamaica, the Cayman Islands rejected remaining with Jamaica and becoming, as a part of Jamaica, independent. Since then, what has happened to the Cayman dollar? It remains exactly as before, at $1.20 to the US$1. It is spent on overseas education, health and welfare, frequent travel, cars and other imports in profusion, and on a standard of living the envy of everyone, except Bermuda. They, like Bermuda, are effectively dependent on no one -- but, should something go wrong, should some disaster, economic or otherwise occur. Britain is obligated to help pull the fat out of the fire. If you ask them, they will tell you it gives the Caymanians a nice, secure, feeling. They sleep well at night and, having seen what happened to next-door Jamaica, wonder why on earth Bermuda should be so foolish to even think of independence.

Your correspondent might consider the advantages of debating ideas on their merits. The pressing need to know a debater's identity only suggests an underlying intention to disparage the debater, rather than the argument. For those with a weak argument it is a common ploy, designed to gain gullible adherents by arousing emotional personal antipathy. In the matter of independence for Bermuda it is better to stick to impersonal facts as best they can be gathered, and to avoid the emotional distortions, obfuscations and red herrings that have swept so many trusting little populations, like the Gadarene Swine, over the cliff to bankrupt themselves underwriting the egos, and selfish aspirations, of their tin pot leaders.

REAL TIME