The politician responsible for bringing the Human Rights Act before Parliament 25 years ago has described members of his own party as ?absolutely despicable? for not debating a proposed amendment to the law.

But Bermudian elder statesman Quinton Edness, who was the United Bermuda Party?s Minister of Community Affairs when the original act was tabled, told that ?cowardly? members of the House of Assembly could redeem themselves.

Mr. Edness, who retired from politics in 1998, described Parliament?s rejection without debate last month of Renee Webb?s Human Rights Amendment Act 2006 ? which would have outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation ? as ?a very sad, sad affair?.

He said MPs from his own party were ?absolutely despicable? for not having spoken on the bill. ?I was very disappointed that the United Bermuda Party and, indeed, the PLP did not speak on this particular principle.?

But he said the House could vote to allow one of its rules ? Rule 47 ? to be waived in order for the bill to be brought back and debated properly this parliamentary session.

He said: ?I believe they have an opportunity to redeem themselves. Parliament is supreme and it can do anything it wants.?

He urged Ms Webb to take a motion to the House asking it to waive Rule 47 so that the bill could go before MPs again immediately.

?I would certainly advocate that she do that,? he said. ?All of the people saying they didn?t have a chance to speak on it, because they were playing games, will have a chance.

?I don?t remember such a precedent but I?m sure it has been done, if not in our Parliament then probably in the British parliament or in some Commonwealth parliament.?

He said all of the Island?s MPs ? with the exception of Ms Webb and her fellow Government backbencher Nelson Bascome, the only other member who spoke on the bill, plus the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House ? ?came off looking like really big, big cowards, afraid to get up and speak on a subject which is an extremely important subject?.

He added: ?Given our history, it?s extremely important that the law protect each and every person living here from discrimination. Any sensible person would have realised this was about a very important principle.?

Mr. Edness added that when he worked on the original Human Rights Act he envisaged that sexual orientation would be included at a future date.

?There are many things we couldn?t get in but it was always my hope that once we got the fundamentals of human rights on the books it would continue to evolve.?

Stanley Lowe, the Speaker of the House, agreed yesterday that it was possible for the House to suspend Rule 47 but that it would be highly unusual. He said: ?I have never ever seen that happen. When a bill or measure has failed it hasn?t come back. They usually sit it out and wait until the next session of the House. In theory it could be done. In theory only.? He said Ms Webb would have to be sure she had the support of the House. ?We can?t just arbitrarily suspend the rule,? he added.

Dale Butler, Minister for Community Affairs and the Cabinet member responsible for human rights, said his advice to Ms Webb would be to take the issue back to the Progressive Labour Party?s caucus meeting tomorrow to see if there was any support. ?My guess is that they are going to say ?leave it until October?.? Ms Webb indicated at the weekend that she would not try to re-table the draft legislation unless she was sure the majority of MPs backed it.

Mr. Butler said that although he supported her bill he could not, as a Cabinet Minister, propose that it be put again. ?I still stand here in favour of it,? he said. ?But I have to take my decisions from the Cabinet on this recent issue.?