FEWER House of Assembly seats will mean less representation for the people -- not more. It is all very well for Premier Smith to say that we will have votes of equal value but we will have fewer votes, fewer Members of Parliament and less representation.

A House of Assembly of, say 20 members, would be swamped by the Cabinet -- which makes decisions in secret -- with very little Government backbench or Opposition to have any say at all.

We will simply have Government by Cabinet. Not even MPs will have much discussion, never mind the PEOPLE .

There will be fewer MPs to whom to take your concerns, fewer people to listen to the PEOPLE .

Yes, the constituencies need to be more even. Over the years the populations of some parishes have dwindled and other parishes have grown at a very fast rate. Serious inequality has developed. But what would be wrong with one person, two votes of equal value? It is devious and wrong to degrade one of the oldest Parliaments in the world by the back-door approach of a Boundaries Commission. To say that the issue will be debated in the House of Assembly is the same as saying that the Cabinet's will will prevail, not the people's will and it is clear that many people do not agree with this method.

This is too serious an issue and too great a step for Bermudians to sit idly by and just let it happen. Stand up and make yourselves heard. This is your Bermuda.

WATCHING, Paget Appeals to Baroness The following letters were sent to Baroness Scotland of Asthal and copied to the Mid-Ocean News: November 6, 2000 Dear Baroness Scotland: Re: The Bermuda Constitution Order 1968 One of the principal characteristics of the constitution of the United Kingdom is that no body or political party is infallible or has a monopoly of wisdom and that state bodies should promote the general good and not the interests of a limited group.

Pursuant to the Bermuda Constitution Act 1967 only your Government is empowered by Order in Council to amend our Constitution and our Premier the Hon. Jennifer Smith has approached you requesting the repeal of the existing electoral provisions and the substitution of very different arrangements.

Before making any such Order in Council it is incumbent on your Government to ensure that as wide a cross-section of the Bermuda public be consulted as is reasonably possible.

This is important not only to ensure that any amendments are appropriate and acceptable to Bermudians generally but also to establish a precedent as to how future constitutional amendments are to be effected not only in Bermuda but in other British Dependent Territories.

The procedure implemented in the Cayman Islands in 1991 of appointing Constitutional Commissioners to carry out the ascertaining and evaluating of public opinion should again be followed.

The Bermuda Parliament should request the assistance of your Government in this manner but if it endeavours to proceed without such independent consultation then your Government should insist that such an exercise be carried out.

Respectfully submitted, WILLIAM M. COX, Hamilton November 6, 2000 Dear Baroness Scotland: I would like to make my fears and reservations known to you regarding the Progressive Labour Party's intentions to change the Constitution of Bermuda.

I do not object to the Government wishing to make some changes, some of which are necessary, what I do object to is the method they propose to use. They wish to rush it through without letting the people have full knowledge as to how, why, and what, they want to change.

There is a slogan circulating in Bermuda that says: "We don't know, you don't know, and they won't say.'' Surely that says it all -- what are they afraid of that we cannot have full discussions with several open meetings and if necessary a referendum? The Bermuda Constitution belongs to me, to the people of Bermuda, it is a sacred document that upholds our democracy.

If any Constitution is going to be changed, I want to know why and how and be given the respect to have a say in the Government's plans.

I beg you Baroness Scotland to advise Britain to withhold their blessing, till we, the people have been thoroughly informed of every aspect of the constitutional changes that the PLP now wish to make.

DIANA E. WILLIAMS, Pembroke November 5, 2000 Dear Baroness Scotland: As you may be aware, the Government of Bermuda is proposing to amend the voting rights of Bermuda citizens without a constitutional debate or a referendum.

I beg you to intervene and assure the citizens of Bermuda that they will have public debates ... followed by a Constitutional Conference and a Referendum.

We feel that this is the path of a democratic solution to the problem and will avoid the very real threat of a dictatorship.

Please give this your most urgent attention.

DEFOREST TRIMINGHAM, CBE Former Member of Parliament and Former Minister of Tourism Paget November 6, 2000 To Whom It May Concern: I am a registered voter and citizen of Bermuda. I am writing to you in regards to the recent number of controversial actions taken by the Premier, Ms Jennifer Smith. Let me first make perfectly clear, my comments are based on the fact that I do not care who is in power, as long as the Government is working for and with the people of Bermuda. This is my concern.

Ms Smith, as Premier, has the power to become a dictator or at least to dictate to the people what will be done in our country. She can overthrow or implement any law or act she wishes without coming to the people first. She has suggested that she wishes to change our Constitution and redraw the boundaries on our constituencies.

As it appears, she's going to do this of her own accord without the people's approval. She has also stated that we do not need to be informed of all this.

This distresses me greatly. I cannot stress that point enough.

I have grown up in this country for all 24 years of my life, under the impression that we, the people, use our votes as our voice to the politicians and that they were here to do our will. I'm firmly for instituting change in Bermuda to better everyone's life.

However, I do not live in a communist country or a dictatorship! I value my right to have my say in the workings of the Government and exercise them every time that there is an opportunity. I would expect that if the Government in power is not respecting my rights as a citizen and voter that a higher authority steps in and makes sure that no one is abusing their position and power. I would hope that as a Commonwealth country, Britain and the British Government would be interested in the wishes of the people of this country and not just the Premier's. She was elected as our voice, but when she is not doing the job that she was hired for, who do we, the people go to? I request that you look into these matters and make sure that the people's interests are being served and not simply her own.

Thank you for your time and attention.

MICHELLE DE SIO-ALBUOY Paget, Bermuda November 6, 2000 Dear Baroness Scotland: On behalf of my two daughters and myself, all registered voters, we are taking the liberty in writing to you to inform you of our grave concern about current events taking place in Bermuda, England's oldest Dependent Territory.

We feel it is of paramount importance that we add our voices to the many others that may have written you. The situation has reached crisis proportions and is sending out signals of distress around the world.

We are of the opinion that under the current Progressive Labour Party leadership our democracy is at risk. We, as well as any one else in the free world who cares for and cherishes democracy, are dumbfounded that the proposed changes to the Constitution do not get a proper and timely hearing.

This should be done by way of many public debates followed by a Constitutional Conference and a referendum to give the people of Bermuda an opportunity to discuss and agree to any new proposals for serious changes to our established rights.

We are further of the opinion that Bermuda's Constitution is the people's document and must protect all of our fundamental rights. This Government or for that matter any government should not be allowed to tamper with, make amends, changes, modification or adjustments in the Constitution without widespread public consultation and ultimately with the consent of the people.

At this very moment, we the people of Bermuda do not have a real say in determining how many Members of Parliament should represent us. We see this as extremely alarming and worrying. We strongly object to the process, the way, the method of implementing and carrying out of the proposed changes.

We therefore respectfully request that you do everything in your power to encourage the Government to give us, the people of Bermuda, a voice.

SHIRLEY F. MULDER ROBIN ASBURY WENDY H. ASBURY Warwick Far, far worse October 31, 2000 ON this hallowed eve a certain sinister thought occurred to me. Sometimes to see the impact of a given proposal, the proposal has to be taken to its logical or illogical conclusion.

One man, one vote of equal value! Notwithstanding the fact that we have one man, two votes of equal value at present (excepting Paget East and Warwick), this is but a feel-good catchphrase of no practical value.

But taken to the logical extreme, the real issue is what you are voting for -- that is, what are your options.

In many countries, called dictatorships, they still go through the democratic motions. One man has one vote of no value. And you have only one candidate -- the dictator.

I have a cynical concern with Jennifer Smith's request for a blank cheque regarding sweeping constitutional changes for Bermuda that this may well end being the case here.

In fact, if the leader (of any country) has too much power, centralised in that office, with his or her Ministers simply captives of their egos, not wanting to argue with their leader for fear of being sacked, they have little or no impact on the decision-making process. Make no mistake about it: that's likely to happen here if the Premier's constitutional amendments are railroaded through.

There is, at present, too much power already centralised in the Premier's office. Forget what will happen if the Bermuda Constitution is rewritten to make that post even more powerful.

I am on record, in many prior Letters to the Editor, of having argued this point over the past ten years. It's nothing to do with the Progressive Labour Party currently being in office. The same situation was true under the United Bermuda Party. But this situation will become far, far worse if the PLP amendments are allowed to go through.

SANDERS FRITH-BROWN Warwick