Documents show the Cabinet Office rejected a request from the Opposition to participate in Government’s overseas trips to meet with Bermudian students.

New Opposition Leader Michael Dunkley says he construes the Premier-led multi-nation tour as an orchestrated effort to stump for votes at the taxpayers’ expense. He made the comments during a recorded television interview to be aired tonight.

When quizzed on the subject again yesterday, Mr. Dunkley said: “Most members of our party tend to think it was a campaign tour.”

The original request to take part in the tour came from former Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert, according to documents supplied by the UBP. He told the Premier the Opposition would be willing to pay its own way.

The request was denied.

Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque wrote in response to the request: “The initiative to which you refer is a Government initiative and as such Party participation is not appropriate.” The letter also thanked Mr. Furbert for his support.

Initially Mr. Dunkley applauded the Premier for organising the events because he thought it showed commitment to students studying overseas in cities like London, Atlanta, Huntsville and Halifax.

He said: “We weren’t suspicious all along. We looked at it at face value — the Premier reaching out to students overseas and to encourage them to come home for employment.”

Now that the tour to the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States is over, Mr. Dunkley is convinced there was an ulterior motive on the part of Premier Brown.

The Opposition Leader said: “He wanted to capture an audience overseas of potential voters. For the last couple of years we’ve talked about absentee ballots for students, and of course those Bermudians who travel, and it’s an issue the Government refuses to address.”

Yesterday the Premier declined to respond to Mr. Dunkley’s statements.

A student who attended the Premier’s event in Halifax said he didn’t recall Dr. Brown ever specifically asking for votes.

However, the student wrote in an e-mail: “It did seem as if the Premier was campaigning for votes because his opening speech during dinner, before the question and answer period, was basically a summary of things the PLP planned to do in the future.

“When students asked him questions he would sometimes mention what the UBP did wrong or did not do and what the PLP planned to do. On the other hand it didn’t make sense to me that he would be campaigning to college students because when asked if students abroad can vote via absentee voting, he said no.”

Last November, the Premier’s Press Secretary Scott Simmons told The Royal Gazette: “The Premier of Bermuda sees the need to meet with Bermudian students studying abroad.

“This familiarisation is the continuation of an overall programme to meet the students in their own elements and engage them in constructive dialogue.

“The Premier would like to convey to our students that we, as a Country and a Government, value their collective contribution.”

The Premier’s spokesman also said the trip would confirm to parents that Government appreciates their sacrifices in sending their children abroad to study.

According to the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, local and international companies participated in the Premier’s events because they wanted to network with students who might become future employees. The Chamber has not sought specific feedback from member companies, but Chamber President Diane Gordon said the opportunity was “important” to companies looking to establish their own recruitment databases.

Mr. Furbert’s initial letter, written on February 23, seemed to focus on that point.

He wrote: “The tour may help students bridge one of the fault lines that lie between the education system and the economy this country has built. The Parliamentary Opposition would like to be a part of this historic event and therefore request an invitation to attend and to address the students.”

The request was apparently considered, but not granted.

Yesterday Mr. Dunkley said: “The reply to our letter shows there was no consideration given to the Opposition to participate. That solidified our belief even more (that it was a campaign tour).”

In a television interview tonight, the new Opposition Leader comments on this issue and makes more specific comments about the Premier, at one point challenging Dr. Brown’s integrity concerning the soon-to-close Government Medical Clinic.

The United Bermuda Party paid the production and broadcast costs associated with the 60-minute interview. Mr. Dunkley and his deputy Patricia Gordon Pamplin are questioned by reporters from ZBM, Mid-Ocean News and The Royal Gazette.

The journalists were not compensated by the political party and were permitted to ask any question they chose.

The programme airs tonight at 8 p.m. on VSB and ZBM.