Premier Jennifer Smith last night hit back at critics who claim she has not been visible as a leader.

Breaking her silence on the matter, the Premier appeared as the guest of talk show hosts Ceola Wilson and Ashfield Devent on the VSB programme `Night Talk'. It is the second interview she has granted the electronic media in the past two weeks, having also spoken with ZBM's Jim McKey.

The Premier said she took major issue with her critics who felt that she has not led the country effectively of late.

"I was away for two weeks," she said on the programme. "What crisis was Bermuda going through? I left on the 21st of September. I was here when the September 11, events happened and I was dealing with the EMO and I had met already met with Cabinet.

"So much as people want to act as though this happened to us this did not happen directly to us. There were two families here that were affected and there were 70 odd countries that were affected. We are what you would say was secondarily affected."

Ms Smith said that she was confident that steps had been put in place by her Government in accordance with the UK that would help Bermuda cope with any threats to national security. And she allayed fears of Bermudians, pointing out that legislation may be introduced in the future that will address security issues.

The Premier took the opportunity to blast people who reported various stories in the media challenging her leadership abilities, saying that she has "no opinion of other peoples opinion".

The banter between Bermuda's leader and the talk show hosts last night gave Premier Smith an opportunity to highlight several Acts and Amendments that her Government has passed as well as a progress report on Government's approach of three years in office.

"I'm on record as saying we are very much on track and I am very confident," she said. "I think that the Department of Housing have been doing a wonderful job - with 96 houses built in the first quarter. They have been doing a wonderful job.

"The Progressive Labour Party has been nothing but consistent with single seat constituencies. We have been consistent with the one man one vote of equal value, we have been saying this since 1979 and before. This is nothing new. We also have an Employment Act now and it is law and its provisions are valid and it's protection for workers."

The Premier said that was an important Act now more than ever, because in the current uncertain economic climate, Bermuda's workers will not be made redundant before foreign workers.

She also noted success in amendments in the Criminal Code Act, Parliamentary Election Act, CURE legislation, Gaming Machine legislation, Consumer Protection Act and a host of other legislation and Acts that she said her Government is proud of.