Joe Gibbons said yesterday.

Opposition leader Mr. Frederick Wade said in the House of Assembly last week that his Progressive Labour Party was "the only political party active in the field of registering voters.'' "It's not true,'' Mr. Gibbons said yesterday. "I think it needs a response because, to our members out there actively getting people to re-register, I think it's a slap in the face.'' The system of annual voter registration has drawn frequent complaints and the PLP has argued that it helps the United Bermuda Party.

"I'm not arguing the pros and cons of annual registration,'' Mr. Gibbons said yesterday. "But we do have it. And we also use it as if we were canvassing.

Every year, our scrutineers and our branch members have an opportunity to go out.

"It actually helps us to get out there. We are very concerned in getting registered.'' Indeed, Mr. Gibbons said, the party had appealed to the Registrar General's office to extend the cut-off date.

"The motive is that you want people registered because you want them to vote.

I'm sure many of our branch workers would welcome changes to annual registration because they wouldn't have to get out there so often.

"But from the party's point of view, we put a great deal of emphasis on getting out there during the annual re-registration drive. What Mr. Wade said is clearly not true, and it's slightly insulting to all those people who are actually out there getting people re-registered.''