THE Pembroke West by-election should be seen as more than a gauge of confidence in the three-year-old Progressive Labour Party Government, Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons said yesterday.

Dr. Gibbons said he believed some people would vote as if it were a national poll, but others would vote on constituency and parochial issues.

The United Bermuda Party candidate, Jamahl Simmons, will be involved in a two-horse race with the PLP's Carvel VanPutten in the February 6 vote made necessary by the resignation of UBP MP Gary Pitman last December.

National issues are sometimes thought to dominate voters' thinking during a mid-term by-election as the country's media spotlight turns onto a single constituency.

And this will be the first test at the ballot box for the UBP since Dr. Gibbons took over as party leader three months ago.

Asked if he thought the by-election would amount to a vote of confidence in the Government, Shadow Finance Minister Dr. Gibbons said: "Some people will vote on that basis, I'm sure.

"But Bermuda voters are very intelligent and sophisticated and they will be voting on a wide range of issues.

"Some of them will be very local issues like whether the drainage is right on the road, rights of way to the waterfront or whether anything is being done about a dangerous intersection in the area.

"What some people might call parochial issues certainly play a part in people's thinking when they are voting.

"Some will be thinking more about broader issues like whether Bermuda is getting good government and whether there is a need for change."

Dr. Gibbons expressed great confidence in 31-year-old Mr. Simmons as his candidate.

"One of the nice things about Jamahl is that he is tomorrow's person, from the younger generation, and it is very important to have more people like him involved in politics," said Dr. Gibbons.

He added that his drive to recruit new members to the UBP was going well and said that he would unveil a newly-selected Parliamentary candidate today.