By Nicole Williams Concerned members of the community last night jammed a church hall to debate the future of long-term local residents.

And emotions ran high during the first public meeting on the controversial issue, held at the Cathedral Hall in Hamilton.

During the meeting, the Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Quinton Edness outlined the main points in the Green Paper on Long Term Residents.

One of the options in the report -- which was tabled in the House of Assembly in June -- was giving people who have lived in Bermuda for more than 20 years status.

Other options included a one year amnesty -- a one-off chance for status -- or a "green card'' arrangement similar to the one in the US.

"We do not profess to have come up with all of the possible solutions,'' Mr.

Edness pointed out.

But the general consensus among long-term residents seemed to be that they earned and deserved Bermudian status. One woman who has lived in Bermuda for 26 years said: "I would sleep better tonight knowing that you are considering giving us status. I'd like to own my own house and be rid of the uncertainty.

"I urge you to consider status rather that a green card,'' she added.

Another long-term resident pointed out that despite her contributions to the Island, she had fewer rights than a foreigner who recently married a Bermudian.

"I think that after someone has served this country for 20 years, it is wrong to treat them like second class citizens,'' the woman said. "I understand the plight of the Bermudian and that Bermuda is small but we are here already.'' But the Bermudians in the crowd maintained that their children would be at a disadvantage if status was granted to long-term residents and their children.

A Bermudian man said: "Did any of you (politicians) think of the Bermudian kids and how the extra people and their kids were going to affect their future? What about our kids competing with them in the work force?'' Mr. Edness admitted that if most of the eligible long term residents, and their children, opted for status, there might be a future strain in the work force. But he pointed out that there should be no additional strain on the infrastructure since long term residents and their families were already utilising the Island's resources.

Another Bermudian, concerned about lack of space on the Island, expressed his fear that Bermuda could only sustain a certain number of people and any future additions could cause problems.

After admitting that Government had made no decision on what the population cap should be, Mr. Edness pointed out that since 1963 Bermuda had been experiencing zero growth and that it was expected to drop in the next century.

GOVERNMENT GVT