The taxi industry was neglected in the past because of Bermuda's racism, a Government Senator claimed yesterday.

The industry was made up of "primarily black businessmen", Sen. Michael Scott said during yesterday's debate on measures to computerise the industry.

"It needs to be supported. Since 1951 it should have been further supported... Black taxi operators need to be supporting this legislation."

He said the industry could have thrived over the years if white businesses had been supportive.

And he accused the Opposition members of "continuing to fall into the trap of, almost unconsciously, undermining black initiatives."

He added: "Somebody could have said let's make this industry viable."

Sen. Scott also said that the taxi owners had also been "victims of their own mismanagement and failure to pull their industry together."

Government intervention would not have been necessary if the sector was thriving, he continued.

He was criticised by Independent Sen. Jeanette Cannonier for "drawing the race card". She said she had been lobbied by "all sorts of people".

Government Senate Leader David Burch interjected saying that Sen. Scott was not expressing the ruling party's view, but his own personal conviction.

"It's certainly not shared by me - he is not speaking for the Government," said Sen. Burch. But Sen. Scott refused to confirm, when asked, that he was not espousing the Government's view. Most people who voted for the PLP were black and the party was supposed to represent their interests, said Sen. Calvin Smith when the debate continued after the lunch break. And most businesses involving black people were small and unprotected.

Independent Sen. Walwyn Hughes said the debate was based on law and did not demean any race, so he didn't see where race fitted in. Sen. Smith replied: "Therein lies the problem."

"It is one of the main industries in this country that black men have control over," Sen. Scott told The Royal Gazette later. "It's a source of great pride - business pride and national pride. Classically, it would not have been supported or allowed to integrate and these damn taxi drivers fall into the trap of misperceiving the efforts of the PLP to make them a viable and dynamic business enterprise.

"And they make a grave mistake of doing so - they are shooting themselves in the head. They are being led down this dreadful trap by taxi drivers within their ranks who are wedded to UBP thinking.

"The UBP can't help them because they are clearly engaged, both consciously and unconsciously, in undermining black enterprise and black development. It's time the taxi drivers take a pill and get on track because this is nonsense, absolute nonsense."

He added: "If it was a white industry it would have been hooked up."