A husband and wife team yesterday called on Bermuda Housing Corporation chairman Larry Burchall to clarify why Edward Cowen abruptly retired.

Ward Young, a former BHC chairman, and his wife Kim, the Shadow Minister of Health and Social Services, labelled Mr. Burchall's recent remarks regarding the former BHC general manager's retirement as both denigrating toward previous BHC boards and discriminatory toward seniors.

Mr. Burchall said Mr. Cowen was asked to retire because it was time for things at the BHC to move ahead further and faster and it was "unreasonable to ask Mr. Cowen to get in step with us at his age''.

He stressed that this was not "to denigrate his age or contribution'' because Mr. Cowen had "brought a breath of fresh air into the organisation which had not been performing well prior to 1992''.

Mr. Young, who first joined the BHC in 1984 and served as its chairman between 1989 and 1993, said: "It is unfortunate that he can come in and denigrate the work done by the Bermuda Housing Corporation Boards of that time.

"I think the housing corporation has done a stellar job since its incorporation.

"This was a great boon period for the housing corporation.'' A hundred houses were completed during this time and a catalogue of the derelict houses on the Island was prepared.

It was also during this period, continued Mr. Young, that the mortgage programme for first time home owners was set up with the Bank of N.T.

Butterfield and the programme of selling pre-fabricated housing went into effect.

"The Bermuda Housing Corporation has done a marvellous job. He shouldn't denigrate it that way.'' Meanwhile Mrs. Young said Mr. Burchall's reasoning behind Mr. Cowen being asked to retire was "an age discriminatory remark''.

"How can the public be ensured that the senior citizen population in Bermuda is important to Government?'' she asked.

"This suggests that the senior citizen population does not matter.'' Mrs. Young argued that Mr. Burchall's comment was a complete reversal of one of the arguments used by Government to defend its appointment of Dame Lois Browne Evans as Attorney General on April 1.

Dame Lois was named to the top legal post at the age of 71. Mr. Cowen was 69 when he retired on September 1.

Mrs. Young noted that the Progressive Labour Party used Dame Lois' wealth of experience as a reason for her appointment and questioned how Mr. Cowen could then be asked to retire.

"Government can't do one thing and then say another,'' she said.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Young called on Mr. Burchall to come clean on the facts surrounding Mr. Cowen's retirement.

"Perhaps he should just tell the truth and let the public know why Mr. Cowen retired,'' said Mr. Young.

He noted that Mr. Cowen was well liked by members of the BHC and pointed to comments by Frog Lane Condominium Association Chairman Terry Flood who said the news of Mr. Cowen's retirement had deeply saddened him.

The incident hinted at something else happening behind the scenes at the BHC, Mrs. Young continued.

Mr. Cowen was working the day before he retired and yet there was no plan in place to replace him as advertisements for the position were not ready, Mrs.

Young pointed out.

"It makes you think something else happened,'' she said.