comes to the election.

That was the warning Labour and Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman took home with him last night after an emotional public meeting on immigration held by the Committee for the Independence of Bermuda.

Mr. Pearman was joined on stage by PLP Senate leader Sen. Alex Scott, NLP spokeswoman Ms Cheryl Pooley, Portuguese-Bermudian Organisation chairman Mr.

John Amaral and West Indian Association representative Mr. Archie Warner.

Mr. Amaral was challenged by a member of the audience over Portuguese community links with the UBP.

"We're going to be reviewing the issues when the election comes,'' he said.

"Whichever party supports our case, I think that's the party we're going to be voting for.'' Earlier, Ms Pooley was applauded when she told the forum she believed Bermudians felt angry about the status issue because status had been used to keep the UBP Government in power.

The UBP had relied on immigrants like her folks for support, she said. But the children of such "colonialists'' did not necessarily share their party loyalty.

Ms Pooley, Sen. Scott and Mr. Amaral all called for a new immigration policy, while Mr. Pearman stressed the adaptations made to existing laws over the years and the flexibility of present policy.

Sen. Scott said Bermudians felt hard done by with a policy that shifted and changed.

"The theme seems to be that if you know someone and have a special connection you may be favoured.'' Government policy could be judged by looking at top officials who were non-Bermudian, he said.

Mr. Amaral said before the recession Bermuda had been a "big happy family'', but now people living here for decades found themselves in trouble.

They had never expected the problems now faced by their children, who regarded Portugal or the Azores as foreign.

Ms Pooley attacked Government for "lax'' policies and loopholes in immigration laws.

Mr. Pearman, however, pointed to statistics showing "dramatic'' reductions in guest workers and new work permits.

Bermudians and non-Bermudians were being hit by recession. If it hadn't been for the downturn the meeting would not be taking place, he said.