All sections of Bermuda society must come together to solve divisions within the community, according to the US Consul General Gregory Slayton.

Mr. Slayton spoke yesterday at the Hamilton Rotary Club where he touched on the issues of unity, the state education system and the strength of the Island's financial sector.

On unity he said: "There are divisions among families that have caused great pain and suffering. And yes, there are long-standing racial issues of many generations that cannot be swept under the rug or ignored, on both sides.

"The only way forward is together. This is a small island but in many ways a truly great island. Only by working and putting division behind us can issues be acknowledged and resolved; only together can we advance the cause of health, happiness and prosperity for all," he said.

He noted that in order for Bermuda to unite and triumph there had to be willingness on both sides.

"There is a growing awareness that basic social problems must be solved if the community is to move forward in a healthy way. That means that the family, the basic societal building block, must be strengthened; children must feel valued and they need to be nurtured and encouraged to become the best they can be, whatever their strengths and goals.

"There must be progress in racial harmony on the Island. I believe in what former United Nations' leader Kofi Annan said 'we may have different religions, different languages, different colour skin, but we all belong to the human race'. Truer words were never spoken. Together we can achieve the goal of race-blind unity and enrich ourselves in the process if we value our differences," said Mr. Slayton.

Recognising that Bermuda's public education system was in urgent need of upgrading, Mr. Slayton commended Premier Ewart Brown for acknowledging the issue openly and taking action to correct it.

"That took courage and commitment because change is difficult," said Mr. Slayton.

He told the meeting that the international business community was 100 percent behind improving education. "It is in their best interests, because we would prefer to hire Bermudians over expatriates. It makes economic sense to hire locally."

As the US Counsul General, he recognised the validity of having Bermudians employed in international reinsurance and noted that the corporate community, in particular, the international reinsurance sector, has been increasingly generous in offering Bermudians scholarship and internship opportunities.

"Unfortunately, corporate support is not enough, Government cannot do it alone, nor can teachers or parents. What is needed is a partnership of all these elements, with our children in the middle. The mindset must be one of educational excellence, which generates opportunity in the workplace and social cohesion."

Mr. Slayton also noted that the financial industry has come to define Bermuda.

He said: "To continue its dominance in the field, it is important that Bermuda strives to be among the leaders in the arena of meeting global financial standards. This has been agreed by both industry and government as in the Island's best interests."

Mr. Slayton said that the Bermuda Monetary Authority's (BMA) just-released Business Plan for 2008-09 makes it clear that they are pursuing legislation that will strengthen regulation of the Island's financial industry and make it even less subject to abuses such as money laundering and terrorist financing.

The Government has already passed legislation creating the Financial Intelligence Agency, which acts as a clearing house between the police's Financial Investigation Unit and the regulatory BMA.