Tourism Minister David Allen last night said proposed Constitutional changes would eradicate four centuries of racial stereotyping and end anti-democratic manouvers.

Mr. Allen was speaking at a well attended Constitutional Reform meeting at Penno's Wharf in St. George's last night which featured most members of the Cabinet.

The speakers were all Cabinet Ministers, led by Premier Jennifer Smith who was joined by Mr. Allen, Transport Minister Ewart Brown, Attorney General Dame Lois Browne Evans and Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb.

Mr. Allen said Bermuda's parish based electoral districts had an electoral record which could make Bermudians blanch, adding: "Bermuda is the only country on the face of the planet that actually raised the voting age from 21 to 25 years.'' Mr. Allen cited other moves that he claimed were anti-democratic including shortening the polling hours on election day, the introduction of voter ID cards and the abolition of the provision for equal unpaid TV broadcasts by political parties.

These moves he said were part of a pattern aimed at suppressing the public's right to vote.

"The current debate on constitutional electoral reform has to be seen against this backdrop of constant erosion and denial of a level playing field at the ballot box,'' he explained.

He added that Parish based seats had been divided along racial lines causing a form of racial stereotyping.

"This is the tragedy of the gerrymandering that occurred in the 1960s,'' Mr.

Allen continued. "And of which today's boundaries still bear the hallmarks -- in creating white and black electoral ghettos and more racial polarisation.

He added: "Our Government's plan to create single seat constituencies of approximately the same voter population regardless of ancient parish boundaries will largely eliminate such disparities, racial stereotyping, and polarisation, at least in this area of national life.

"It will serve as a unifying force for the country, binding its different ethnic groups closer together,'' Mr. Allen continued. "It will in one fell swoop jettison the baggage of nearly four centuries of racial stereotyping of parish based electoral districts.

"No longer will we be tempted to think in terms of white Paget East and black Pembroke East.'' Dr. Brown said the current system had so upset a white liberal member of the Legislative Council (now the Senate), F.C. Misick, because it would achieve a precise racial result and ensure the election of 16 white assemblymen and would be a complete travesty of the democratic process.

Dr. Brown said the current system meant that one constituency could have 2,000 voters and another only a thousand but both elect two representatives.

"There is inequality this is unfair and needs to be changed,'' he said. "By restricting electoral boundaries to a Parish under the current system that inequality will remain.'' Premier Smith floated figures of between 28 to 32 for the number of seats in the House of Assembly which "would seem reasonable'' but she would not commit to those figures.

She welcomed widespread interest in constitutional change, saying that Post Offices are regularly running out of copies of the Constitution and copies of the plans for Constitutional Change.

Ms Smith also said the push for single seat constituencies was not "wholly and solely'' a PLP idea and had been voiced by John Gilbert former Clerk to the Legislature between 1976 and 1989.

David Allen DISCRIMINATION DIS