Shape up your attitudes or we could be forced to ship out was the blunt message for Bermuda from international business leader David Ezekiel.

He said the sector was under attack and that Bermuda should make up its mind over how it felt about global finance.

Th Chamber of Commerce's International Companies Division chairman said: "Our challenge is to make sure the environment which attracted those businesses here is maintained.

International business `under attack' "So what we don't want to do is start a trend which, once it starts, will be impossible to reverse.

"And we have seen that with some of the islands in the south.

"But if the changes are too great and people feel that they can be used and abused and not recognised for the substantial contributions they make to the Island then there will be an impact.

"International businesses are under a lot more pressure now than they were in 1995-6. When your purse starts getting pinched you start looking at what's disposable, what you can cut back. And a lot of international business are in that position right now.'' Mr. Ezekiel added: "So the impact will be the cutback in some of the programmes they support. You might not see an immediate exodus but you might see people not expanding their businesses here. Nearly every company here is global.

"They don't have to do something here, they have ten other locations and they will choose the location which is perhaps the most welcoming and the easiest in which to work.'' Mr. Ezekiel also referred to Environmentalist Stuart Hayward's complaints about the way expats were damaging the Island's culture.

He told the meeting at the Leopard's Club Anniversary Celebration last Thursday: "International Business employs 3,000 people.

"Of those 3,000 -- less than 1,000 are expats so when I hear all the ills of the island, all the infrastructure problems, the traffic problems, the fact that people are no longer allowing people into traffic all blamed on international business then I come from a different perspective.

"Bermuda and Bermudians have to make up their minds as to the importance of international business.

"And then, once you invite people in, you accord them the respect they deserve and give them the feeling of community that most of them would like to bring to Bermuda and do bring to Bermuda.

"It is demoralising for many that come here, give time, give effort, want to become part of community to pick up the paper and read about themselves as a block of people who are somehow creating problems without necessarily creating a lot.

"Let's decide what we want. And when we decide, let's embrace the industry and the people and let them get as involved in the community as we know most of them want to be without perennially feeling under attack as some sort of outsiders that will be outsiders forever.

"Most of them want to do good.'' Mr. Ezekiel said international business was not here because someone made a conscious decision to scale down tourism. He said it largely filled a vacuum created by tourism's struggles.

He said: "International business is not here to make Bermuda more successful - it's here to make Bermuda survive in a very difficult period and continue to do so in the years ahead.

"International business results in thousands of indirect jobs and creates for Bermudians the opportunity to do something very different from what they've done in the past.

"It provides $760 million in foreign currency to this island, it pays $355 million in salaries, $200 million a year in fees to local businesses and it pays millions more to landlords, restaurants, taxi drivers, cleaners and retailers.'' And Mr. Ezekiel warned that Bermudians would pay dearly if high finance upped sticks.

He said: "It contributes $10 million a year directly to Bermuda charities.

"If you take away the contribution of international business every remaining Bermudian in the workforce, in order to sustain the current level of services, would have to pay each year $9,455 to government.'' Mr. Ezekiel admitted international business brought strains on the infrastructure but he said it also brought a lot of good things.

He said: "But international business doesn't come here in order to employ Bermudians, at the end of the day Bermudians happen to have employment because international business comes.'' He said the choices were pretty stark as global commerce picked up the reigns from the failing tourist sector.

He explained: "International business wants to make things better.

"When we meet on the committee of International Companies Division most of our discussions are what can we do to make things better, for the environment, Bermuda as a whole.

"The quicker the community sends out the message that this is recognised it will work to the benefit of all of us.'' `It is demoralising': David Ezekiel