Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has offered the benefit of his country's experience with Independence, Premier Alex Scott said this week.

Mr. Scott paid a courtesy call on the Jamaican Prime Minister during his visit to the country to observe the Bermuda Regiment's training exercises.

Other members of Mr. Patterson's cabinet - including the Minister of Tourism and the Foreign Minister - attended the meeting, he said.

“Discussion was not topic specific and those things pertinent to Bermuda such as tourism, and our decision to open discussion on the subject of Independence here in Bermuda, were discussed,” Mr. Scott said.

“He made an undertaking that, where there is any possibility of him providing us with any assistance, he was prepared to do so.

“Since becoming Premier, this was my first meeting with the Prime Minister and (it) afforded me the opportunity to extend my hand in continued friendship and commitment to work with him in forging the best outcomes for our respective countries. I found the PM to be forthright and focused.

“He was willing to assist us wherever and whenever we felt the need and I reciprocated our willingness to do the same.”

Asked how Jamaica's experience could be of benefit to Bermuda, Mr. Scott said he was merely reporting what had occurred during his trip.

“Providing advice is not providing direction,” he said. “I do many things that my teachers at Berkeley did say or didn't say, but I benefited from the counsel that they gave. Sometimes you learn not to do what others have done.

“Therefore, the advice from the Prime Minister in Jamaica will be just that - he will not even be giving us advice. He said ‘if you think there is benefit in hearing from us what we learnt on the subject of Independence... we are happy to help'.”

And he stressed that taking advice from any country should not be viewed negatively because it was an opportunity to choose what information might be useful.

“We have to, as a people not fear information, not live in isolation, not be prepared to at least look at a subject such as Independence without doing an objective (study).”

He added: “Let's not question the messenger. Let's not say ‘if you get information from Jamaica, then you're going to be like Jamaica. If you get information from the UK then you will be like the UK.' Just receive the information, discuss the information, reject the information, accept the information.

“I believe we are about to embark on a very healthy period of growth - whether we go independent or not, we will basically be a better country for at least having considered the subject. So yes the Prime Minister of Jamaica offered, as a friend would do.”