Renee Webb's justification for taking $200,000 in commissions from government business directed to her investment company is yet one more reason for an MPs' code of conduct, says Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons (pictured).

He said it was wrong for her to use her position as a Cabinet Minister to change government's pension investment policy to net fees at the expense of pensioners.

"To see it otherwise shows that Ms. Webb either fails to understand the concept of conflict of interest or refuses to look in the mirror."

In the House of Assembly on Friday night Ms. Webb had suggested Dr. Gibbons and other MPs had benefited from government business directed to companies they are involved with.

"But there's a major difference: none of the individuals she cited is currently in a position to influence how or where government spends its money, and none has taken a fat commission on government business and put it directly in his pocket the way Ms. Webb did as a recent Cabinet Minister.

"It can also be said that taxpayers received value from the services provided to government by these companies. It is fair to ask what direct value Ms. Webb brought to the taxpayer for her commissions."

He said Ms. Webb's defence of her behaviour, as well as her previous defence of the PLP government's mismanagement of the BHC scandal and the Berkeley project, always comes in two flavours.

"The first is her allegation that 'they did it too' - speaking, presumably, about the members of previous United Bermuda Party governments.

"I certainly don't have any evidence that they did, and neither Ms. Webb nor the Progressive Labour Party has ever presented real evidence to support this claim.

"But even if it were true, it's still wrong. We all know that two wrongs don't make a right. If it happened in the past, it was wrong then and it's wrong now.

"The point of government is to serve all the people, not to help yourself and a select few."

Dr. Gibbons said the second defence that she and the PLP government have frequently used is calling anyone who questions their behaviour a racist or an Uncle Tom.

"Both the Auditor General and many of us on the Opposition benches have been called these divisive names in the recent past.

"And it's this defence and refusal to be accountable that has cost the country well over $50 million at Berkeley and the Bermuda Housing Corporation ? money that should have gone into empowering all Bermudians, not just a select few.

"That's why we've put down a motion in the House on the need for anti-corruption legislation in Bermuda and why we feel strongly there should be a code of conduct for Members of Parliament.

"If penalties must be specified to hold Members of Parliament accountable and prevent serious conflicts of interest, then so be it."

The United Bermuda Party agrees with Ms Webb on the need to broaden economic opportunity, said Dr. Gibbons. "We believe all members of this community ? not just a select few-deserve to have a fair chance at economic empowerment, and that's why we've tabled a motion to discuss our Economic Empowerment Bill 2004.

"Finally, because Ms. Webb accused me of benefiting from government business, let me offer a personal comment. As a white Bermudian whose family has been involved in running a variety of Bermudian businesses since 1916, I have a stake in this community.

"My grandfather was a hard-working entrepreneur who began with nothing, and I'm sure he got some breaks along the way, just as I have benefited from opportunities that haven't been available to all Bermudians. I'm also sure that our family businesses have received government business over the years. "However, there is a major and important difference between Ms. Webb and me: I'm not in Government, I haven't been for almost seven years and therefore I'm not in a position to direct business toward any Gibbons family business.

"And furthermore, I would not and did not when I was in Government.

"When I was Minister of Finance, I did what I believed was the right thing to do to minimize any potential for conflict of interest, although I'm not so na?ve as to believe that Ms. Webb and others won't perceive or claim otherwise-that's politics, and it suits her argument.

"So let the record speak for itself. When I was appointed Minister of Finance, I did the following:

Stepped down from all company boards and positions that had any potential for possible conflict, including all local and family companies.

Resigned from all positions that involved operating or running a business in Bermuda.

Ensured that I was separated from any ownership positions that could have created the potential for conflict of interest. Assets of family businesses were in trust in any case, and I was not a direct beneficiary, nor was I involved in a way where I would have known about the disposition of those assets.

Consulted the Financial Secretary specifically on the issue of conflict of interest at the beginning of my appointment to ensure it did not arise.

In the House on Friday Ms Webb had said Dr. Gibbons and his family had benefited from a trust after TBI was awarded a licence under the previous UBP government.

Dr. Gibbons continued: "While I was Minister for Telecommunications in 1995, I was responsible for setting forth the policy decision to introduce competition into the telephone markets in Bermuda, a policy from which all Bermudians have benefited through significantly reduced telecommunication rates.

"However, contrary to Ms. Webb's statement in the House of Assembly, I was not the Minister responsible for licensing the specific company that she continues to raise as an example of conflict of interest.

"The selection of that company was made after I became Minister of Finance, and it was based on the recommendations of a Telecommunications Board and civil servants."