Pembroke voters should ignore a glitzy pre-election media campaign launched by the United Bermuda Party, an Opposition rally was told.

"It's costing them thousands of dollars to run those ads,'' Shadow Health and Social Services Minister Mr. Nelson Bascome said of a television, radio, and newspaper campaign by the UBP. "Yet we still have thousands of people in Bermuda who are feeling the effects of the recession.'' "The UBP is not the caring Government that their glitzy advertising ...shows them to be,'' Mr. Bascome told just over 100 supporters at St.

John's Field in Pembroke.

The Pembroke East MP was among seven PLP speakers at what was described as a youth rally and the party's "first open air seminar'' of the approaching general election campaign.

Political speeches were interspersed with music and dancing at the two-hour event.

Party Leader Mr. Frederick Wade called on supporters to help with canvassing and finances, noting that the rally cost $2,000. If supporters turned out to vote, the PLP would "form the Government of this country in the next four weeks,'' he said.

Mr. Bascome said he was disappointed at the small number of young people in attendance. He encouraged youth to seek out information for themselves, and not rely on a single source.

The other Pembroke East MP, Bermuda Industrial Union president Mr. Ottiwell Simmons, told the rally the UBP Government was "almost on a hate campaign against the workers''.

Under a PLP Government, "you're going to see a better quality of life for the ordinary working man in this country,'' the MP said.

Mr. Simmons, who during a recent House of Assembly debate said blacks in the UBP were "coloured folk'' who had received a "dishonourable discharge from the black race,'' told supporters to "forget all this foolish racial talk that people are putting out. "We are not interested in the colour of the votes, we are interested in the votes, and we are going to form a Government for all the people in this country.'' The UBP only represented Front Street, he said.

Pembroke West Central candidate Ms Neletha (Honey) Butterfield quoted Malcolm X, who said education was the passport to the future.

"Some of us have the passport, and there is still no room in the workplace for us,'' she said.

But education was here to stay and had to be pursued, she added.

Mr. Philip Perinchief, another first-time candidate in Pembroke West Central, said it was a myth that the PLP did not have the personnel qualified to run Bermuda.

"I invite the UBP Government to match any economist, any accountant, any lawyer, any professional, with ours, and we will surpass them,'' he told the crowd.

Pembroke West candidate Mr. Michael Cox said the PLP was best able to represent "the wide cross-section of Bermuda.'' Youth were "our most important resource,'' and adults in the community should be their role models, not sports and music stars, he said.

Too often, youths who had problems were focused on, while youths who succeeded were ignored, he said.

Shadow Delegated Affairs Minister Mr. Stanley Morton said the PLP was "making a transition from Opposition to Government.'' It was "deceitful,'' for Government to give the vote to those 18 years old and then plan an election when many of them were away at school, said Mr.

Morton, a candidate in Pembroke East Central.