Government has failed to show that Caricom associate membership will be worth the cost, insists the Opposition United Bermuda Party.

Responding to Caricom Committee Chairman Nelson Bascome's rebuttal to UBP criticism of the bid, Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons issued a statement this week saying that his party remained concerned that the regional body is pursuing long-held objectives of economic and political union which would be detrimental to Bermuda.

He said that cultural and kinship ties with the Caribbean can be strengthened "without joining an economic association that works against Bermuda's interests and could cost us dearly in contributions."

The statement adds that Bermuda should be focussed on "economic diplomacy" and that a Caricom link "works against Bermuda's efforts to present itself as a well regulated offshore jurisdiction".

Government has said that Bermuda will only be involved in functional cooperation in areas such as health and education and cannot as an Associate Member sign up to any of Caricom's arrangements for economic union.

The UBP says that the Government cannot be trusted.

"Mr. Bascome tells us not to worry about these things. He says that the PLP Government has given reassurances that it won't do anything that Bermudians don't want to do. The real issue is trust. Can we trust what he and his Government say? The track record of the PLP Government is noteworthy for broken promises, lack of consultation and stifled debate, cover-ups and secrecy. Is it any wonder that we have difficulty taking the Government's word on Caricom."

The statement also said that recent polls indicate that most Bermudians are opposed to Caricom membership.

"And the PLP Government apparently hasn't even convinced its own backbench about Caricom. They allowed the Caricom motion in the House of Assembly to expire so they wouldn't face the embarrassment of a backbench revolt. If the Government were careful listeners, they might understand why the United Bermuda Party and so many fellow Bermudians have justifiable concerns about Caricom membership and are unable to support it."

A debate on Caricom did not take place during the last Parliamentary session as planned. But Mr. Bascome tabled the Caricom committee's discussion paper outlining Government's case. The paper is available to the public from the Government Information Services and Island Post Offices.