It?s been a standard plank in the arsenal of Independence advocates. But the jury is out on whether full nationhood will foster national unity or help bring Bermudians together, judging from the findings of a recent survey of Bermudians.

All were asked to put aside their position on Independence and consider only whether it could possibly bring about greater national unity.

Rolfe Commissiong, political commentator and PLP supporter, says it could.

?By erecting a national superstructure in terms of identity it can provide a model by which Bermuda?s three main ethnic groups ? blacks, Portuguese and whites ? can coalesce around thereby bringing greater national unity,? Mr. Commissiong said.

?What it simply means is that we can celebrate our differences in a healthy way but in matters of prime national interests we all can come together to pursue our interests as one people. We can?t do it now because we have not fashioned a national identity and that can only be done within the context of Bermuda as an independent nation.?

?Whatever ephemeral thing that Rolfe is looking for there will always be something more than he wants because the void he has will never be able to be filled. He will never be satisfied,? says Opposition MP Trevor Moniz.

But he acknowledged that for some people Independence will be the ultimate high.

?But it won?t do anything for me?, and it?s not because of any particular pride in being British. I have my own sense of my identity as an individual within my family, within Bermuda. I don?t need any more and I respect other people?s identity ? I don?t expect it to be the same as mine.?

And he said just as some people?s high hopes and expectations were dashed after the election of the PLP in 1998, so will it be with Independence.

Catherine Hay, a 21-year-old Bermudian university student is undecided but believes the discussion could be a bitter pill that Bermuda must take.

?The question of Independence is going to create division which will stand in the way of national identity,? she said.

?It?s necessary to have discussion about Independence. It?s the most healthy thing in the world to do to have this discussion. Something as important as Independence will force many out of an apathetic position on politics and socially and make people realise that not everything is well and good.?

?We need a new organising principle because the former organising principles that helped bring the various segments of the community together ? church, neighbourhood, Bermuda?s Britishness ? no longer exert the influence for better or worse that they once did in fostering some semblance of social cohesion,? added Mr. Commissiong.

He added that a lot depended on how Independence is brought about because it would be critical to get ?buy-in from all of the major stakeholders? and a broad national consensus.

Former Premier Sir John Swan, who failed in his bid to take Bermuda to Independence in 1995, said cutting ties with Britain and having to stand completely on its own would force Bermuda to come together.

?As part of one Bermuda we would have to be on our own without anyone to interfere in our affairs.

?That would compel us to focus on how we collectively achieve our objectives,? Sir John said.

?You know his objectives ? to get rich and get richer,? quipped Mr. Moniz.

?Politicians are into self aggrandisement. You?ve got to watch out what?s the agenda of the politicians who say it?s good for you. Is it good for you or is it good for them? And I can tell you, politicians will become a lot more powerful with Independence.?

Mr. Moniz added: ?A lot of these arguments are designed to manipulate people?s emotions, and people have to cut through that. You?ve got to talk about concrete advantages for Bermuda as a whole.?

He pointed to the Bahamas to show that national unity is not one of those advantages.

?It was a disaster for a few years (after Independence). Who did the best ? (Former Prime Minister Sir Lynden) Pindling was a crook and you run the risk ? Pindling was saying ?I will give you national unity I will make you proud of yourselves? ? and he lined his own pockets,? he said.

(The late Sir Lynden was leader of The Bahamas for 30 years starting in 1967, and became that country?s first Prime Minister after leading it to Independence in 1973.)

?I think when someone is offering you something that?s very warm and fuzzy you have a right to be very sceptical. Not the right, the duty, the obligation ? particularly if you have children like I do. If you think you are going to feel better about yourself, see a therapist.?

Bermuda, he said, already had national unity ? which he defined as ?the freedom for people of different backgrounds to have different opinions and to express them freely?.

Lawyer Warren Cabral said the question really was irrelevant. National unity, Mr. Cabral says, may be a consequence of Independence, but not a reason for Independence.

?I actually think we Bermudians enjoy as much community solidarity as one is likely to find in today?s world. I have lived and visited all over the world, and I can truthfully say that nowhere has the kind of social consciousness and spirit as does Bermuda,? Mr. Cabral said.

?Frankly, I think we have national unity already. That is so notwithstanding that we have two political parties and two races sharing 21 square miles. You only have to look at Hurricane Fabian to see that indeed we are all good neighbours and we do pull together, and do share common values. In the real world you can?t ask for much more.

?By contrast with elsewhere, we have excellent schools based on a common interests in education. Likewise, we have excellent healthcare based on a common contribution through HIP to high standards; we have excellent industrial relations (when compared to the UK and elsewhere). I would say we have an excellent society. So, if national unity means neighbourliness, we are there already.?

He said the key thing was whether Bermuda?s interests, which are primarily economic, are better served with Independence.

?No one should actively seek out additional communal burdens unless an interest is being served: sealing our collective fate (being unified in death & destruction) is hardly a desirable outcome.?

Columnist Bryant Trew agrees with the Swan rationale up to a point. ?Independence forces us to see ourselves as Bermudians in the collective. Right now our place is still somewhat nebulous... There?s no clear message which says that we are Bermudians as a people and Independence certainly could send that message. I stress could. It could be a unifying factor.?

But it could also lead to deep divisions.

?It certainly could go either way. It could be a unifying issue, it could be a divisive issue. I think a lot depends on the level of trust between Bermudians and also the process by which we approach it.?

Mr. Trew said his biggest concern is the ?rabid? supporters on either side of the Independence debate who could derail the process if it doesn?t go their way.

And he noted that many people are still stuck on whether it should be done via a referendum or a General Election.

?People that I have been talking to really don?t want it politicised and having a general election will politicise it. And it?s totally above both political parties. The question should be answered in isolation of political issues.?

Catherine Hay: ?I think the discussion of Independence is going to bring up a lot of issues that Bermudians are happy to leave dead. Questions that my generation have not addressed ? many questions of race, perhaps inequality within the social system, and I think the push and shove of the Independence debate is going to more likely cause divisions ? it?s going to be caricatured in broad sweeping terms like this is white perspective or the Portuguese perspective or the black perspective.?

Among the subtler questions that need to be addressed are how has colonialism shaped Bermuda society, she says.

But can we speak of people-hood if we are a colony?

?That is a question ? what truly is Bermudian? Who is a Bermudian and who is not? It?s something I?ve been wondering myself for a long time.

?And it?s only in studying in the US that I?ve forced myself to face how our colonial heritage has shaped who we are as a people ...

?Are our institutions still carrying the burden of an imperial past, a stratified past - not to say racially stratified. Before we go independent I think it?s necessary to understand it ? it?s not a neutral thing. It was dynamic and it?s formed what Bermuda is as a whole.

?As a people we have to understand who we are. Perhaps the dialogue will bring more unity.?