pay for all Government's election promises, the National Liberal Party warned at a public meeting last night.

The NLP also advised women there was no one better than a female to look out for their interests.

Wednesday night's television debate between NLP candidate Cheryl Pooley and two other female candidates had proved that, NLP chairman Mr. Geoff Parker told the roughly 30 people who attended the rally. Male candidates would have had "some difficulty'' answering some of the questions posed on women's issues.

The NLP would stand up for Bermuda's women, he promised. On the cost of Government's Blueprint for Bermuda, he said, "(Premier) the Hon. Sir John Swan admitted he had no idea how much the promises made in the Blueprint would cost.'' The meeting was held in Smith's Parish at Marsden Hall. NLP Leader Mr. Gilbert Darrell MP cautioned against becoming "mesmerised'' by the UBP's promises.

And on the issue of gay rights, he said the NLP "believed strongly in the right of human being to be'', though it was not going to highlight the issue.

Mr. Graeme Outerbridge, running in Smith's South, charged Government had made a `fiasco'' out of lowering the voting age to 18 -- and then turning around and calling an election after the school year began.

On the issue of "missing'' Auditor General's annual reports on Bermuda's finances, Mr. Parker said the NLP was prepared to "take our case to London'' to get Government to hand them over.

They had been missing since 1988, he claimed, adding: "Something smells here.'' The last letter the NLP wrote to the Governor on the issue -- after the one calling for an election delay until the reports were found -- was September 22. A series of questions concerning the reports were posed, but the reply was that it was "neither appropriate nor helpful'' for the Governor to respond at the time.

Mr. Parker also attacked Shadow Finance Minister Mr. Eugene Cox for "not doing his job''. When he recently claimed Government was millions of dollars in debt, he should have had the Auditor's reports in his hands to back up his statement.

It was the Opposition's job to keep official tabs on the books and guarantee the taxpayer's money was being handled properly, Mr. Parker said.

"How can they be a good Government when they aren't even a good Opposition?,'' he asked.

Mr. Parker added the NLP was disappointed that neither the Opposition nor Government had agreed to publicly debate the issues. The parties had "cowered'' under their "handlers'' to "stave off any potential embarrassments''.

Inviting questions from the audience, which turned out to be mostly on the "missing'' reports, Mr. Parker took a last stab at the PLP, saying, "We have no gag rule in our party.''