An admission by Premier Ewart Brown that members of the original Sustainable Development Round Table were kicked off because they publicly disagreed with Government comes as no surprise to Stuart Hayward who said his firing was an act of intimidation.

He told The Royal Gazette: "It has become such standard practice it's almost not shocking any more. His administration has been rife with people being demoted or dropped from ministerial portfolios because they disagreed. It is supposed to be the process of democracy but this smacks of Government by intimidation rather than Government by collaboration and consultation. It's counter to what we had been moving toward."

Mr. Hayward, an environmentalist and former independent MP, said he believed former Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield had been dropped over disagreements while he recalled a doctor sacked by the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) for opposing the closing of the Indigent Clinic.

Dr. Brown told Parliament on Monday night that the sustainable development initiative would continue.

It had started under previous Premier Alex Scott with the Sustainable Development Round Table (SDRT) to which Mr. Hayward had been appointed. But he was then dropped when Dr. Brown became Premier.

Mr. Hayward said the SDRT had been set up to be a watchdog with the quote from the Government's own website saying: "Going forward, the SDRT will adopt more of a watchdog role, acting as advocate and monitoring progress on our country's sustainability for today's decisions and the inheritance of tomorrow.

"The Round Table also forces Government accountability by ensuring adherence to the commitments made in the Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan."

Mr. Hayward said yesterday: "We got clarification we would not be expected to be silent about issues."

But he said Government had broken its promise to consult the SDRT. "Government should have had every expectation that the SDRT would comment publicly on the Hospital/Botanical Gardens decision, especially as the Government itself did not '...(adhere) to the commitments made in the Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan', insofar as prior consultation was concerned."

He said despite the fanfare touting the Sustainable Development Initiative, members of the Round Table learned, at the same time as the public and through the same channel — the media — that a new hospital was going to be built on ten acres of Bermuda's remaining public open space, appropriating just under one-third of the Island's only Botanical Gardens.

There were no environmental impact studies and there was no discussion with the Sustainable Development Round Table or seeking of its advice, said Mr. Hayward.

"The decision and its announcement flew in the face of the new initiative under which hundreds of members of the community had been consulted, hours had been spent discussing key issues at public meetings and the Round Table and SD Unit had worked tirelessly to develop the best possible plan.

"Had the Round Table remained mute in these circumstances — while Government was speaking out publicly — the whole initiative, and the Round Table's role within it, not to mention Roundtable members themselves, would have lost credibility."

Bermuda more than ever needed a strong advocacy group for sustainable development, said Mr. Hayward, who wished it every success.

But he cautioned: "Given the Premier's history we doubt that is going to happen.

"I would imagine the remaining members will hear clearly that if you speak out you will be dumped. "I don't think that is a climate under which anyone can really advocate for sustainable development."