Government is contradicting itself when it comes to the awarding of Government contracts, according to the Opposition.

Though the Premier has said the Progressive Labour Party Government represents all Bermudians, comments made by other members of his Government seem to say the opposite, according to the United Bermuda Party.

?A government that truly embraces and endorses this philosophy cannot support a policy of discrimination in the awarding of leases or contracts,? Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons said yesterday.

?Over the past six years intemperate and contradictory statements by both Cabinet Ministers and PLP backbenchers regarding PLP policy on the awarding of Government contracts have created an environment of suspicion and mistrust. The time has come for the leader of this country to articulate once and for all where he stands on this issue.

?Are Government contracts awarded by merit, race, a combination of both, who you are or who you know in Government, or is it possible there is no policy??

The UBP spoke after comments by Government MP Derrick Burgess during the motion to adjourn in the House of Assembly on Friday night.

MPs were discussing the handling of the lease held by the Bermuda Cement Company (BCC) with the West End Development Company (Wedco), which expires in 2005. BCC has held the lease for 40 years.

A UBP release stated: ?Mr. Burgess asserted that BCC director (and Bermudian) Jim Butterfield (pictured) ?must go?, and that BCC had held the lease for ?too long?. He said that the PLP Government had a mandate to insure that Government contracts went to, in his words, ?our people?.?

Former Bermuda Sun editor Tom Vesey recently called for Government to ensure black Bermudians get their fair share of Government contracts without compromising the quality of product and service.

Speaking at a National Reconciliation Association meeting several weeks ago, Mr. Vesey suggested contracts could be awarded on a points system based on criteria such as making deadlines and being cost-effective.

However, the process would have to be ?completely out in the open for the public to understand and accept,? he said. ?That means keeping track and publicly revealing things they are not used to publicly revealing.?

For example, the amount of money that goes towards black and white contractors could be made public knowledge - an ?uncomfortable? process, but necessary.

Government could also privatise where possible and favour small businesses more, designing projects in smaller bits to localise them and spread opportunities.

At the same meeting, former Government senator Calvin Smith also said there should be no compromises when it came to quality and service.

Businesses should not be patronised because they are owned by black Bermudians, but because they are ?simply well-run businesses?, he said.

?The PLP?s past attempts at economic empowerment have not been encouraging,? said Dr. Gibbons yesterday. ?Government must create policies that encourage equality of opportunity for every Bermudian. If Government shares this vision, they must display the courage of their convictions and articulate their plan, if it exists, to create equality of opportunity for every Bermudian.?