There is no leadership crisis in the United Bermuda Party, leader Grant Gibbons insisted yesterday.

And those leading a campaign to have Sir John Swan take over the party leadership are nostalgic for the UBP's heyday and hanging on to racial stereotyping about politics, he added.

In his first public comments since the `Swan campaign' was reported by this newspaper last week, a confident Dr. Gibbons said that a UBP Government would, however, offer Sir John a formal role as a senior statesman.

"The whole issue of foreign relations is one that is exceedingly important right now," he said. "In the next UBP Government we would be interested in looking at Sir John as chairman of a foreign relations steering committee so we could continue to rely on his advice and guidance. And, quite frankly I think Sir John should be considered as Bermuda's first Bermudian Governor."

When asked he said he had not discussed such ideas with Sir John and did not know whether he would be interested.

Given Sir John's experience and contacts, "It would be unfortunate if we couldn't find some senior role for him," Dr. Gibbons said.

He freely admitted that the party's most recent polls had included questions about Sir John, which party chairman Wayne Furbert had denied earlier.

The polls looked at leaders, candidates and sometimes community leaders, he explained.

He said the reason for including Sir John was that his opinions had been widely disseminated by the Mid Ocean News in recent years.

"We were very interested in knowing what impact those might have on other people."

He said the polling showed that his and Sir John's favourability rating was "essentially the same" and Sir John was "slightly better known" but had a higher negative rating.

He criticised the ruling Progressive Labour Party for "jumping on the bandwagon" in order to deflect attention away from what he said was that party's leadership crisis and failures of the Government.

"The answer is absolutely not. I think what you're seeing is a certain individual has expressed an opinion," the Opposition Leader said. "The parliamentary members have elected me as leader and I fully intend to get on with that and we are completed focussed on some of our objectives."

He added that he did not believe that Toppy Cowen's campaign to have former Premier Sir John Swan replace him at the helm had much support and that he had received a number of calls saying that Mr. Cowen's comments to the media had not been "helpful".

And he explained Mr. Cowen's campaign as a yearning for the "good old days" as elections draw near.

"People get nervous and they get emotional. I think Mr. Cowen provided himself with some reassurance, if you like, by looking back to an earlier period in the UBP's history, let's call it the good old days. Basically that was a time when things were going very well and Sir John was the leader but I think we have to face the fact that we are the new UBP, we are not the old UBP. And, quite frankly, when you look at the House the vast majority have been elected since 1993. And when you include the Senate the majority are new since 1998. That is important because we as a party are looking forward and not looking backward."

Dr. Gibbons said that Mr. Cowen's implication was that the UBP could not win the election with a white leader.

"Of course the Progressive Labour Party jumped on that bandwagon - they tend to play the race card when it suits them. They tend to play the race card when they don't have a suitable explanation for some of their actions. But the UBP, because we are an diverse party, is the best party to lead the country away from racial stereotyping," he said. "Fifteen twenty years ago, there probably were people who were saying you couldn't do something because you're white or because you're black. I think we've come a long way since them. The UBP feels very strongly that the issues of integrity, fairness, compassion, sensitivity and competence - these are issues which don't have a colour attached to them."

He said it was important that a Government reflect the composition of the population. "Do you think it's possible for the Progressive Labour Party to have a white leader?" he asked.

Toppy Cowen has been leading a months long campaign among UBP supporters to draft Sir John back into parliament in order to effect a friendly leadership transfer.

The former Premier has gone on the record to say that he will not be making a political comeback but Mr. Cowen has insisted that Sir John can be persuaded by the party's grassroots supporters. Dr. Gibbons said that he had spoken to Sir John within the last two weeks and that he had given him his full support as party leader. Mr. Cowen was not convinced that Sir John had given his blessings to Dr. Gibbons when contacted yesterday. And he repeated his belief that despite the former premier's denials, he does want to come back.

He pointed to a two-page spread in the Bermuda Sun last week with Sir John on a Court Street walkabout as proof that he wants to make a political comeback.

"If Dr. Gibbons wants to feel that way I have no problem with that."

Sir John is currently off the Island and could not be contacted for comment.Mr. Cowen said that he will be approached again when he returns.

Dr. Gibbons said Mr. Cowen's campaign was a symptom of a healthy and democratic organisation - something that was lacking with the current Government.

"Politics in a democracy is a chaotic conversation, it's the kind of thing we expect. You want people speaking out, you don't want to stifle debate. One of the concerns and disappointments I have about the Progressive Labour Party Government is they have stifled debate over the last several years."