Pembroke East Central constituents would be better served by someone who "speaks his mind and does not pull his punches," says Rolfe Commissiong, who confirmed yesterday his ambition to fill the House of Assembly seat left vacant by the death of David Allen.

Mr. Commissiong, 45, who operates a small communications company, and has been a harsh critic of Premier Jennifer Smith's Government, said that he had notified the Progressive Labour Party's (PLP) Pembroke branch of his interest in representing a constituency in the Parish a year ago.

His competition for the branch's nomination includes at least one other person - Senator Calvin Smith.

It is not known if other candidates have made their intentions known, but some expect that Senator David Burch, who was this week appointed Minister of Housing, would stand in what has been considered a safe PLP constituency.

Mr. Commissiong touted himself as a "real progressive alternative" for the Pembroke East Central constituents and the country at large when asked what he had to offer.

"I don't believe there is a voice for a significant percentage of the Bermudian population which is concerned with the direction that Bermuda is going politically, economically and socially.

I want to represent progressive democratic values - that means greater openness, greater participation on the part of the Bermudian people in the political process, particularly our younger voters, to give them a stake in the system and I think I am an example of that."

Mr. Commissiong said his party had lost its way since the death of former leader L. Frederick Wade in 1996.

"At least with Mr Wade, one knew what the party stood for. It had more of a coherent philosophy and vision and unashamedly I count myself as part of the Wade wing of the party and if there is anything lacking within the current Progressive Labour Party it is the sort of intellectual and philosophical vigour and vision that we possessed under Mr. Wade's leadership, not to mention integrity."

His focus is national rather than strictly parochial issues. "Parochial issues are inextricably linked to the larger issues," he said. And as a parliamentarian he will address questions related to "Bermuda's integration into the global economy. What are the positives about that? What are the negatives? And to raise the issues that are coming out of Bermuda's changing nature. I believe they are having profound effects on Bermuda and its people and they are not being adequately addressed."

He claimed that Bermuda's economy had led to "a growth of the working poor" and greater disparities of income and wealth.

"You might probably find that the constituency carries a greater proportion of the working poor than in other areas of Bermuda."

Asked how he knew this, Mr. Commissiong replied: "Going back to the Newman report and other studies it's quite clear to me there is a nexus between race and lack of opportunity and between race and economy."

The income gap began to take shape ten or 15 years ago with the growth of international business, he continued. "My question is will this continue to develop a type of Bermuda that will continually make it more difficult for Bermudians to survive in?"

Like Sen Smith, he is also concerned about the "ageing and declining population" of Bermudians and the lot of the Island's senior citizens.

"Even now we may find that many of our older Bermudians who have made a contribution to this country have not been afforded the quality of life or the security in their later years as they so richly deserve as a consequence of the same trends."

It was pointed out to him that Sen. Smith, a senior citizen himself, had similar concerns and that he, Mr. Commissiong, had recently demanded that his party's more senior citizens should step aside and allow younger people to take over.

"I was not deterministic about that - as a matter of fact I think of myself as someone who has an understanding of these issues and someone who is willing to speak on these issues have far more value to those senior groups in our country than individuals who have simply sat on government benches, who have been simply placemen and have not really made meaningful contributions on all of the issues."

Aspiring candidates will have to be nominated by the branch organisation which will send its choice to the candidate's committee of the Central Committee. According to party Chairman Neville Tyrell the candidate's committee for the by election has not yet been formed.