serious implications for Bermuda, coming as they do from people in positions of considerable power.

The Leader of the Opposition Progressive Labour Party, Mr. Frederick Wade, defended his decision not to take part in the Commission on Competitiveness, chaired by the Premier himself, and designed to find ways to improve tourism and international business and to find new financial opportunities for Bermuda, by saying Premier Sir John Swan's Government "has a right to govern the Country in a way it sees fit'' and does not need to turn to task forces and commissions.

"If that's what he wants to do, so be it,'' he said. "But we don't have to be a part of it. When we govern, we expect to govern ourselves.'' This is the second time Mr. Wade has refused to cooperate with projects designed for the general good of Bermuda since he also refused PLP service on Dr. David Archibald's drugs task force. It now seems that Mr. Wade has changed his mind on drugs, which extend to all sections of Bermuda, and that the PLP may serve on the proposed drugs quango.

What concerns us is Mr. Wade's statement, "When we govern, we expect to govern ourselves.'' There are areas where Bermuda simply does not have the expertise to make decisions on its own, no small place does, and where outside advice is extremely valuable. As an example, we do not think the two Archibald reports on drugs could have been produced locally with anything like the depth they contain. We can only wonder if the PLP, in an attempt to "govern ourselves'', would go blindly on blundering.

Internally it can be very valuable for Government to have the input from knowledgeable members of the community who are not politicians but who have expertise in their particular field. For a political party to exclude these people and their valuable input and "govern ourselves'', just as it excludes itself from the Commission on Competitiveness, would be a disaster.

The second astonishing statement came from the designated Commissioner of Police, Mr. Lennett Edwards, who said that he sees a distinction between born Bermudians and paper Bermudians and that when Bermudians talk about Bermudians they mean born Bermudians.

The statement must have caused consternation in the ranks of the Police Force and given any number of valuable serving people who are Bermudians by status the firm idea that they should get out of the service. Clearly Bermuda cannot have this kind of double standard anywhere. In any case, first class by birth and second class by status, appears to violate the Human Rights Act.

Mr. Edwards may well have serving officers who pressure him on the basis of "born Bermudians first'' but that should not become institutionalised in the Police, or anywhere else, in terms of merit for promotion.

We agree with Mr. Edwards that Bermudianisation is a priority and that it is vitally important and we were happy to see that the Police Force is attracting a greater number of young Bermudians but Bermudianisation has to include all Bermudians or we will have further polarisation.