There were few immediate reactions to the Boundaries Commission report on electoral reform yesterday as the majority of MPs were seeing it for the first time.

While there were some reservations about the date set (October 11) for the debate in the House of Assembly, members of both sides predicted bipartisan support for the report.

And all echoed the Premier's sentiment that the people of Bermuda should now take the time to read and digest the historic report.

The Opposition United Bermuda Party announced that it could support the recommendation that Bermuda be divided into 36 single seat constituencies and reserved comment on the actual boundaries saying MPs and party officials had yet to study the recommended electoral map. “We believe that we can support 36 constituencies and that this is the minimum number at which the preservation of responsible government will be possible,” said Acting Opposition Leader David Dodwell.

“It meets our concerns about Cabinet size, balance and control of power and the ability of all members of parliament to represent their constituents well.”

Most MPs immediately turned to the pages dealing with their particular constituency - no doubt to find out how their political careers might be affected.

Smith's South MP Maxwell Burgess was overhead thanking Commission member Dame Lois Browne Evans, saying: “I've kept mine.”

Dame Lois herself declined to comment to this newspaper. Warwick MP Dale Butler told The Royal Gazette that the parish would now be better represented with five single seat constituencies - up by one MP from the current two dual seat constituencies.

He said he was surprised that the October 11 date scheduled for the House debate had been set so soon.

The public should be given more time to examine and discuss the hefty document, he said.

“I think it is a very comprehensive report and it addresses long outstanding issues regarding the democratic process in Bermuda,” said Sandys South MP and Deputy Speaker Walter Lister. He added he was looking forward to the debate and hoped it can be implemented in “the shortest period of time”.

And he does not share concerns that not even time is being given for the public to examine the contents before the House debate.

“With the news media doing the excellent job that they are doing and the availability of the report and not overlooking the meetings we have had prior, I believe October 11 leaves ample time for people to read it grasp it and understand it. And I hope at the end they embrace it.”

Mr. Lister does not anticipate much division within his party's ranks come October 11. The report, he pointed out, represents one more step towards the achievement of the party's longstanding goal of electoral reform.

“I believe there are few, if any, who will make the effort to thwart such a historic endeavour,” he said. “My gut feeling is that it will be endorsed.”

The UBP announced a series of open meetings starting next Monday evening at the St. Paul AME's Centennial Hall in Hamilton to help facilitate public discussion.

“Our primary goal is to listen to the public's views and to help people with their questions and concerns,” said Mr. Dodwell.

He said his party doubted whether enough time was being given for public discussion but wouldn't say definitively if his party would be pushing for more time before the House debate.

“We believe the public should be given as much time as possible. It's not our decision - the public should be asked.”

Warren Cabral, secretary for the lobby group the Association for Due Process and the Constitution which has been pushing for more public participation in the electoral reform process, said that one month should be enough time for the public to give feedback on the report.

“A month is more than satisfactory for public analysis,” he said from his home in London, England.

And he was pleased too, that the Commission agreed that the constituency size would only be allowed a five percent variation from the ideal number.

The Association had said that ten percent variation would have been acceptable.

But he was a bit miffed when told that the report questioned how much “weight” should be put on the 100 opinions which were submitted using a questionnaire prepared by his organisation.

The questionnaire was publicly published and those who filled it in were not necessarily supporters of the Association, he said.

“We reject the implication of that statement which seems to suggest bias,” Mr. Cabral said.