It took Pamela Gordon nine short years since entering politics to become Bermuda's first female premier, and at 41, the Island's youngest,

A daughter of legendary Trinidadian born labour leader, Dr. E.F. Gordon and Mildred Bean, Pamela Gordon, now 45, first entered politics when she joined the UBP in 1988. A year later she contested the Pembroke East seat in what she calls her "baptism of fire".

"I was wupped - by Ottiwell Simmons and Nelson Bascome," she said. But she became the party's deputy chairman that same year and in 1990 was appointed a senator. Two years later she was named Minister of Youth and Sports by then Premier Sir John Swan. In 1993 she entered parliament, representing Southampton West.

In 1995, she was transferred to the Environment Ministry, and two years later succeeded David Saul when he resigned as premier in the spring of 1997.

Mr. Saul, had stepped into the top job following Sir John Swan's resignation. Ms Gordon, whose membership of the UBP had initially caused controversy and some family dispute because it represented a break with the labour oriented and Progressive Labour Party tradition, was dubbed the "People's Premier".

But the election of November 1998 led to a crushing defeat of the United Bermuda Party and handed her a new role as Leader of the Opposition.

"My major regret was I was unable to convince the people of Bermuda that our intentions as a party were good," she said yesterday. "And we're still caught up in defining ourselves through race. We don't look at issues and we don't look at policies - we look at race."

She added: "It's interesting to me that our forebears, people like my father, fought hard for all of us to be able to have choice and yet we still seem to continue to be selective in that choice as though we have no choice at all. And that's one of the most disappointing things. But you persevere."