Education Minister the Hon. Clarence Terceira said in the House of Assembly on Friday that any change in the constitution would have to be voted through the House of Commons in the United Kingdom where, he said, there was some concern certain people would be left stateless.

The cost of Independence as calculated in the position papers was not "set in concrete''. There were, he said, likely to be hidden costs. Many countries had found Independence turned out to be more than they had anticipated.

On the question of seeking a treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom or the United States for defence purposes, Mr. Terceira asked why change the present status quo.

"Why give up what we have for what we do not?'' he asked.

He also urged Bermudians to exercise their democratic right to vote.

Turning to international business, Mr. Terceira said companies would not be taking Bermudians with them. And over the last quarter, the Cayman Islands for the first time was "way above Bermuda'' in terms of the number of businesses setting up there.

Minister of Community Affairs the Hon. Wayne Furbert told Bermudians he did not care whether Bermudians voted yes or no to Independence as long as they voted.

He said the best way to decide the issue was by referendum.

The position papers were "clear and precise'' he said, adding the PLP members remained silent because they supported the UBP's views.

On the PLP's concern over the electoral system, Mr. Furbert called on the Opposition to state clearly their position.

He said the party should sketch out where they felt the constituency boundaries should be on the Island.

"It would be very interesting for them to do that.'' Works and Engineering Minister the Hon. Leonard Gibbons said the PLP, after the presentation of the Green Paper, had criticised Government for presenting a blank cheque to Bermudians.

The position papers now filled in the space in that blank cheque, he said.

In contrast, the Opposition had written a blank cheque -- but it was not against any bank.

This was possibly because the PLP was "bankrupt'', he laughed.

"I think it is important Bermudians read these papers for their own education.

"Most people don't know what the role of the Governor and the Public Service Commission is.'' He added: "I recommend that the public of Bermuda read the papers.'' In a speech which won lavish praise from the Opposition, Minister of Youth and Sport the Hon. Pamela Gordon presented the Independence debate from the perspective of a black woman.

And she said what she had experienced shocked her -- including the way the issue had been handled by some members in her own party.

"I am concerned when I see the amount of fear and venom that have been expressed in the community over the topic.

"Within my own ranks it has happened in a way I never thought was possible.'' Ms Gordon spoke of racial slurs, smears, innuendoes and vendettas.

Many people had criticised the UBP leadership for pushing an issue which had not been in the Blueprint, one person even telling her everybody in the Government should step down, she said.

There was no doubt, said Ms Gordon, there were major fears in the community about Independence.

The question was why? "It is a fear I could not quite understand, and I could not take the criticism without offering something back.

"I can't speak as a white person, or for white people. But I can speak as a black woman.'' Ms Gordon said she had found it difficult to be subjected to insults by people who claimed Government Minister had no backbone and could not stand up to Sir John.

Perhaps, these criticisms were based on a lack of understanding about Government, Ms Gordon suggested.

"We haven't a systematic arrangement to educate people in the schools.'' Ms Gordon said she had been reading a book "Black Labour, White Wealth'', which could be related to the Independence debate.

Why were people arguing that a country like Bermuda which had been self-governing for 30 years -- and had prospered -- would suddenly fall to pieces and become corrupt once ties with Britain were severed? The reason was that there was a black leader of the UBP, and that a large percentage of those in the Cabinet were black, Ms Gordon concluded.

This explained the fear of many in the white community. But, added Ms Gordon, there was also fear of change among blacks who had prospered under the current system.

Ms Gordon said the time was long over due to turn the spotlight on those who had not fared so well, and had not felt a part of society.

People should not wonder too hard why many blacks saw Independence as a way of getting a little piece of the economic pie.

Ms Gordon went on to put the Independence issue in a historical perspective.

Blacks were the only people enslaved under legislation designed to keep them subservient.

Today, black people carried with them the burden of the legislative process that has declared them inferior.

Until relatively recently blacks could not work in hotels, banks and post offices.

"Many whites don't understand the chip that has been carried. Yes, there is a chip for many black people who haven't been able to get over the hump.'' Ms Gordon spoke of Great Britain's "active part'' in slavery.

In 1667, for instance, England passed an Act regulating slave behaviour.

It was England's role in slavery which moulded the way blacks felt about the so-called mother country.

Ms Gordon also claimed Britain had shut the Island out in 1981 when Bermudians became a British Dependent Territory Citizen.

It was this sense of alienation from Britain among the blacks, which Government wanted to address -- although Independence should not be regarded as a panacea which would sweep away all ills.

Minister of Management and Technology the Hon. Grant Gibbons said he had become more sensitive to the position of blacks on Independence.

There was a tendency among whites to always look forward, and never appreciate how the past shaped the present.

Dr. Gibbons said he had been a little disappointed at the way in which Independence had been handled in the community.

"I don't think the black and white communities have really understood where each other is coming from. We have been exploring the issue, but not in a positive way.'' Dr. Gibbons went on to make clear to the House that his own position on Independence had not changed.

He said he was still opposed to Independence on economic grounds.

In conclusion, he urged people to use their vote in the August 15 referendum.

Taking a swipe at the PLP, he told voters: "If you boycott, you can't blame others for what happens.'' The debate was adjourned until next Friday.