AT the risk of sparking an old-fashioned newspaper war of words, I feel I must respond to two columnists who recently voiced opinions on the issue of Bermudian Independence. The columnists in question are Mr. Larry Burchall and Mr. Stuart Hayward, both of whom write for the .

I have long been on record as a supporter of Bermudian Independence and have on many occasions bemoaned the absence of a real debate on the question. So when opportunities do present themselves to discuss the matter in print, I will be quick to take advantage of them.

Now it may be clear from Mr. Hayward's measured columns on the subject that he has never taken an overtly anti-Independence stance. I think it would be fair to characterise his position as "ambivalent".

But the same, in my opinion, cannot be said of Mr. Burchall, whose columns on the question of Independence would clearly indicate to me that he is not in favour of Bermuda breaking away from Britain and becoming an sovereign micro-nation in its own right.

This is not to condemn his perceived position on the question of Bermudian Independence; it is his right to hold such an opinion ? just as it is my right to voice a pro-Independence stance and to challenge his opinions.

I have read many columns penned by Mr. Burchall on the question of Independence and while I have disagreed with both the thrusts and general tenors of his arguments, I have never been moved to respond. Until now.

The headline above Mr. Burchall's latest column ? "It's rude, ignorant and inexcusable (shame on those who show no respect for our national flag)" ? is self-explanatory.

Mr. Burchall is bitterly upset with Bermudians who snub the island's national flag when it is raised at major events like the recent 20-20 World Cricket Classic. With respect to this "rude, ignorant and inexcusable" behaviour, there actually are legitimate reasons why some Bermudians neither relate to the current flag nor view it as representing them.

This, of course, ties in to Bermuda's current constitutional position as a British Overseas Territory (a colony by any other name), a circumstance which Mr. Burchall contemptuously dismisses with the statement: "Of course, apologists will leap up and say that it's because Bermudians don't have a sense of national identity; they are likely to expand on that by saying that until Bermuda becomes an Independent nation with its own new and different flag, people will not identify with the existing national flag."

But the truth of the matter is that for many Bermudians the current flag is not a national symbol with which they can readily identify. It is not a symbol of national identity. I have no hesitation in saying I am one of those Bermudians. When we look at the Bermuda flag, the question can be asked: Does it depict the presence of all of the people who live in these isles?

it is historically correct to acknowledge that human settlement began for this country with the 1609 wreck of the on a reef off the East End, in reality this marked the beginning of European settlement in Bermuda. There were no black people on the(if there were, then their presence aboard Sir George Somers' ship remains a well-kept historical secret).

And, of course, the presence of the Union Flag in the top left-hand corner of the current Bermuda flag identifies the territory a British colonial possession. Sorry, Mr. Burchall, but I do not see myself there. I do not see the acknowledgement of the presence of the black Bermudian, Bermuda's majority population in Bermuda's current flag or in any other national symbol of this country.

Nor for that matter do I see any acknowledgement of the presence of Bermuda's second largest ethnic group; the Portuguese community.

Bermuda's current national symbols are one-sided and continue to represent only one aspect of Bermuda's diverse population and culture, the British component.

Bermuda, in almost every aspect, fits the term which I first encountered in the book by Samuel P. Huntington. Mr. Huntington used the term "a torn country" with respect to the various ethnic, cultural and sectarian divides which exist in so many different countries, divides which allow people to identify with other ? and perhaps larger ? entities outside of their borders.

instance, the Protestants in Northern Ireland still tend to look to London as their historic first city while their Catholic countrymen look to Dublin. And prior to World War Two, ethnic Germans who had lived for generations in the former Czechoslovakia and Poland looked to Berlin for political and cultural leadership rather than to Prague and Warsaw.

The fact people living in the same territory might not share the same histories or cultural backgrounds is important because it helps to explain the different views held by the people of Bermuda when it comes to the question of Bermuda Independence. This does not mean I accept the premise that the question of support for Independence breaks down strictly along racial lines. If the opinion polls are to be believed, clearly that is not the case.

But from my perspective, I do not consider that Britain is my so-called mother country. Bermuda is my mother country and if I were to look outside the borders of Bermuda for a focus of identity, then that focus would be Africa ? followed by the various communities made up of peoples of African descent who live in nations outside of Africa.

Clearly, with that viewpoint, you will have a problem with me ever accepting Bermuda's current national symbols. From my perspective, you have a torn country, one which can only be healed with the creation of a sovereign Bermudian nation.

It seems to have escaped Mr. Burchall's notice that when he cites other countries and the respect their people demonstrate for national symbols, the cultural cement ? so to speak ? that binds them together and which creates that respect is the historical processes which resulted in them becoming Independent nation states.

No, it is not an overnight thing but the process of moving in that direction creates the sense of unity and common purpose that results in both national identity ? and national symbols which the people of a country can fully identify with.

It is quite clear that Bermuda has a problem in this regard, one that goes a lot further than some Bermudians showing a perceived lack of respect for Bermuda's current flag. We should ask ourselves if we would even be having the current debate if all Bermudians had a sense that this island was a nation in its own right.

For in a sovereign Bermuda, its people would better understand what obligations they owe their country and its symbols, what duties they should feel honour-bound to discharge on their country's behalf. It would be part of the cultural mindset. And that simply is not the case at the moment.

, in response to Mr. Hayward's comment that the more impassioned pro- and anti-Independence crusades cloud the issue of sovereignty, frankly I cannot think of any circumstances when issues of this kind were not resolved without this kind of activism.

As I have said many times, it is fortunate that Bermuda has the opportunity to use logic and reason to decide this issue rather than guns. The ongoing War of Independence is being fought with words, not bullets as has been the case in so many other countries.

And no matter how heated the discussions become, it is far preferable that Bermudians are arguing with one another rather than fighting each other. Call me a zealot if you like but as I have stated before, only death will prevent me from being an outspoken advocate of Bermudian Independence.