October 17, 2002

Dear Sir,

With the recent negative press about the Agape House Hospice, my family and I felt it important that we share our recent experiences.

It is our hope that our community can benefit from our experiences and come to a better-informed opinion of Agape House.

My family and I have first hand experience in supporting a loved one through his final days at Agape House. My father was assessed as being suitable for Agape House following final attempts at K.E.M.H. to treat his cancer.

From my fathers very first day at Agape House, it was evident that he was in a place that put the comfort of their patients first. Examples include each patient having a TV with remote and cable, allowing patients to choose when and what they want to eat, and family being able to visit almost 24 hours a day.

The Agape House staff were compassionate, and understanding of both my father and our family's hardship as a whole. The clinical understanding of the employees was reassuring as they worked well in partnership with our family, doctors, KEMH, and the P.A.L.S. organisation.

Another accurate gauge on the services at Agape House is that my father himself spoke highly of his caregivers throughout his time there.

It seemed comforting to him to be treated with dignity and respect through such a difficult period. Other patients at Agape House also mirrored this view.

Special recognition is also due the PALS organisation for all their support in the months leading up to my fathers passing.

They were an excellent medical resource in managing the many complications of a terminal illness.

Their professionalism, support and services positively influenced my father's comfort level and possibly the course of his cancer. Although our father has passed, it means a-lot to know that he received excellent care.

We consider ourselves fortunate to have had excess to the services of both the Agape House and the PALS organisation. While constructive criticism has a place, so too does giving credit where credit is due.

In this respect, our family praises the Agape House and the PALS organisation and recommends these organisations to other families facing terminal illness.

George Botelho

Pembroke

October 17, 2002

Dear Sir,

I wonder if the public - or, in fact, the Press - is aware of a potentially disastrous situation regarding the register of voters. I have been involved in a review of the current voters list and there is a major problem with the accuracy of that list and, for the first time in our history, there is the potential for some very disappointed voters on election day and the question of fraudulent registrations could be raised. The level of inaccuracy raises the potential for disruptions at the polls which are avoidable if the parties responsible will just do what is right.

The Registrar is not only aware that up to 20 percent of the voters in each voting district are either registered in the wrong place, registered in more than one district or don't have any address listed - but doesn't seem to have the will or the desire to do anything about it. This situation has been created by the ‘rolling' system of registration which is a great system as long as the voters keep their registrations current and the Registrar has a system to monitor the register, particularly, for duplications. In some cases, there are many people registered at a particular address - and none of them live there - and all because no one actually transferred their registration - they just re-registered in the new district.

In addition, the Registrar has announced that you don't need an address in order to register. Now, I don't want to dis-enfranchise anyone but how can we have an accurate voting register based on residence if the voter doesn't live somewhere? I appreciate that certain people (the homeless come to mind) do not have a formal address but they must be assigned to some district or we will have chaos. That doesn't mean that the Registrar says ‘Oh, he lives with his auntie over in Crawl' and then puts him in the appropriate area...no, I think a person who doesn't have a legal address has to prove that he lives somewhere (Salvation Army, aunties' house or even on a bench on Albouys Point).

I do understand politics and I appreciate that, having done their damnedest to get all their supporters registered, the PLP will not (and have said so) support a re-registration because they will never have that level of success again. But I appeal to the Governor and the Government to look at this matter very seriously because we have never faced an issue like this and it has the very real potential for major problems at the polls. If what I say is true, and I know it is, to have up to 20 percent of a particular voting district registered inaccurately is a recipe for civil disorder.

The ‘politics' of this subject lead me to believe that an independent authority - in fact, the person who is actually responsible for the oversight of elections - the Governor - should immediately review this matter. I am sure that the British Government don't want Bermuda to follow the example of other countries where elections are, shall we say, not as orderly...

Interested Voter

Southampton