Rotarians were treated to a welcome display of cross-party unity on Tuesday when Opposition MP and hotelier David Dodwell was introduced by Government Senator Neville Tyrell.

?Contrary to popular belief, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce our speaker ? I consider him my friend,? Sen. Tyrrell informed his fellow Rotarians with a laugh

Mr. Dodwell, Shadow Minister for Race Relations and Economic Opportunity, was scheduled to speak about his new resort. But as the other main principal in the company was delayed at the airport, he instead spoke on the importance of economic empowerment ? promising he would not make it a political speech.

?Unfortunately far too many of our people have the minds and have the will, but lack the means to improve their economic status,? he said.

?We must address the fact that certain people have been excluded and that whites have benefited from this. Let?s face it. That is the reality.?

The country must look at economic empowerment from all angles, he said ? including retraining those already placed in the private sector.

?As a people we must recognise the world is changing,? he said. ?Our economy is changing and the knowledge and skills that held most workers in good stead in the 20th Century are swiftly becoming obsolete in the 21st Century.

?We must make a national commitment that the next generation has the skills to compete in the information age. We must also insure that this generation of workers is given the tools to keep pace with the ever-increasing demands of the 21st Century.?

Expanding economic literacy and increasing the number of scholarships available would also empower Bermudians, Mr. Dodwell claimed.

?We must commit ourselves to insuring that every Bermudian who wants to go to college has the financial resources to do so.?

The retirement age should also be expanded, he said, while small businesses should receive more tax breaks and other incentives ? an ?absolutely necessary step?.

Mr. Dodwell noted that the United Bermuda Party tabled a draft Economic Empowerment Bill just before the House of Assembly recessed for Christmas.

The bill, he said, served four purposes: to turn Government?s energies towards expanding economic opportunity for everyone (with some 20 percent of all Government contracts being awarded to small businesses); to break down barriers with larger businesses acting as mentors for smaller businesses; to expand the access of small businesses to capital; and to create openness and accountability.?

Bermudians ? particularly whites ? must stop being afraid to address racism for fear of opening up old wounds or inadvertently insulting their fellow Bermudians, he said.

?It is time to move talk to action and expose ourselves to the risks and challenges of the critical issues of race economic opportunity.

?If we can find new ways to expand opportunity, it doesn?t mean anyone, black or white, giving up wealth, power and influence. Expanding and creating new forms of economic opportunity will benefit each of us because the economic pie that isn?t being shared equally will grow and prosper.

Quoting Martin Luther King, Jr., he said: ?People who have a stake in their society protect that society, but when they don?t have it they unconsciously want to destroy it.?