How much would Independence cost Bermuda and is it a cost the Island is willing and able to meet?

That was the poser faced by a panel of two senior politicians and a representative of the international business community when they held a public meeting to air views.

Before a good turnout at the Bethel AME Church at Shelly Bay, Senators Walter Roban, Kim Swan joined Bermuda Chamber of Commerce president Peter Everson to form the panel asked for their views on the question.

Chartered accountant Mr. Everson led off the discussion presenting the view of international business and stating the ?certainty of law? was one of the most significant concern for the business community when assessing whether to operate in a country or jurisdiction.

?In business we take it that the basics of laws in a country have been around for a 1,000 years or so,? he said. As a metaphor to illustrate what he meant he likened it to the certainty that you if you ran a restaurant and a customer did not pay you knew you could seek recompense through the law courts to receive what you are owed by the non-paying customer.

?Business is founded on the fact that you can go about doing what you do daily knowing the laws are standing there in the background,? he said.

?Independence changes the ?ultimate referee? with regard to changing the laws. If a change is to be made businesses want to know what the new rules will be. Businesses don?t vote but they pay taxes and are concerned because they tend to foot the bill (for any changes) at the end of the day.?

UBP Sen. Kim Swan, referring to the question ?Independence at what cost and does money really matter?? said: ?No. The UBP has a position on this subject and that is what matters (to the people of Bermuda) supersedes any cost.

?Our position has focused on a referendum because we put our faith in the people of Bermuda. Bermuda has probably the most collectively learned voting populace in the world. We have one of the highest turn-outs at elections.?

Sen. Swan pointed out that Hamilton Parish, where the discussion was being staged, was well-known as a marginal constituency, adding: ?Bermuda?s voting community is very sophisticated. We trust that wisdom ? that Bermudians know what is best for them. It is difficult for me and many Bermudians to understand why the Government is finding it difficult to say ?we believe in a referendum separate from a general election?.?

And Sen. Swan could not understand why the will of the people, as reflected by a petition for a referendum signed by more people than voted the PLP Government into power, has not yet resulted in a date being set for an Independence referendum.

?At what cost or extent are we going to bypass the will of the people? They want a referendum date committed to them.?

If just ten percent (1,500 people) of those who had signed the petition marched on the Government it would force them to take note, he said.

?But we have 15,000 who have expressed that they would like a referendum. A referendum is for the people, it is them sending a message. A referendum means believing in your people, not by-passing them.?

Sen. Roban, junior minister for education, development, health, tourism and transport, asked three questions.

?If Bermudians are not the best qualified and equipped to decide what is best for Bermuda, then who? If Bermudians are not the best qualified to represent Bermuda here and abroad, then who? If Bermudians are not the best qualified to decide the identity and path of the future of Bermuda, then who??

The junior minister said: ?I believe yes is the answer to all those questions. The PLP has been a long-standing supporter of Independence ? it is enshrined in our constitution, it is the very heart of the existence of our party.?

There were preconditions the PLP felt needed to be met prior to any step towards Independence and these included one person, one vote and single-seat constituencies. Such constitutional reform was necessary before making the step to Independence, said Sen. Roban.

Educating people about Independence was key, he said, that was why Government and Premier Alex Scott had put together the Bermuda Independence Commission to create a report looking at all aspects of the subject. ?Prior to the BIC there had been no clear and transparent education (on Independence), ? said Mr. Roban. He said the size of the original BIC report ? released last September ? may have put off some readers, but it has now been condensed into a 77-page handbook freely available from Government.

He said the BIC had sought information in a number of overseas arena, including the UK, US and the Caribbean to collate the experiences of other jurisdictions that had become independent. Sen. Roban said there were many Independence myths he wanted to dispel, stating the Bermudian dollar is pegged to the US dollar and that, following consultation with the Bank of England, the BIC had been told Independence in and of itself would not result in devaluation if the current mechanisms remain in place. Furthermore, international business would not ?take flight? or Bermuda face economic instability or decline simply because of Independence, he said. ?The other issue is cost; the ongoing cost of maintaining an international presence which is maintained by the UK,? he explained, and that would also involve taking on responsibility for the ?reserved powers? presently controlled by the UK, namely external affairs, internal security, defence and consular activities.

?In my evaluation the one cost that would be new to the Government Budget would be external affairs,? said Sen. Roban, who reckoned the extra expense would be the lowest expenditure segment in the annual Budget.

?The economy can be maintained and international business would not go if we kept all the good qualities that exist, and I?m sure Bermudians do not want to change that.?

Sen. Roban said there would be built-in safeguards to prevent any dangerous centralising of power. As in other mature democracies around the world, control of appointments in the judiciary and public services would be the responsibility of independent commissions.

And he believed Bermuda would reap rewards by no longer being restrained from going out on its own to seek economic opportunities. As previously reported in the moderator for the evening, former PLP Minister Arthur Hodgson, stated he, like the UBP, was in favour of an Independence referendum separate from a general election.