The Immigration Minister is biased against expatriate workers and Government appears to be making a concerted effort to intimidate people who speak out against it, charged an Opposition Shadow Minister yesterday.

Trevor Moniz spoke out in response to statements made by Immigration Minister Derrick Burgess in the House of Assembly on Friday.

Mr. Burgess said guest workers should not get involved in Bermuda’s politics and those who speak out against their company’s policies should expect to get dismissed.

His comments came in the wake of the controversy surrounding Canadian construction worker, Curtis Macleod, whose work permit was revoked by the Department of Immigration after he was involved in an argument with Government backbencher George Scott.

Mr. Scott, who is also a Bermuda Industrial Union official, admitted saying: “You do not know who I am, but I will see you off this Island” after a row with Mr. Macleod on a Hamilton building site, saying the disrespect shown to him by Mr. Macleod justified the deportation. On Friday, Mr. Burgess defended his decision to revoke the permit and said countries such as Canada and the US would get rid of people such as a hotel worker who recently joked about putting arsenic in the Premier’s food.

He added that guest workers should not get involved in Bermuda’s politics and said that the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was right to ask an English doctor to resign for speaking out against the decision to close the Medical Clinic, formerly known as the indigent clinic.

Yesterday, Mr. Moniz said: “It appears to be a concerted attempt to intimidate non-Bermudians. The suggestion that they do not have freedom of speech and should not speak up about something is disrespectful and shameful.

“This is thuggish behaviour and the Minister has shown that he is biased in exercising his ministerial responsibility. He has a bias against non-Bermudians and, in this matter, he has shown that he has shown a lack of independence from the BIU, which he used to be in charge of.

“He should be standing above the fray in this matter but he has shown a clear bias.”

He added that it was bizarre of the Minister to comment on companies’ policies regarding whether a employee can publicly disagree with a policy.

Mr. Moniz said the Government did not appear to have a problem when non-Bermudians attended expensive galas or made donations to the party but had recently made several “alarming comments” regarding expatriates and international companies.

He pointed to a “vague intimidating statement” made by Finance Minister Paula Cox last week that a five percent increase to a series of corporate fees was needed to weed out international businesses whose hiring practices demonstrate a “lack of good faith and good will”.

Mr. Moniz said the United Bermuda Party was worried that the “dictatorial temper” emerging in Bermuda would tarnish the Island’s image.

He said: “This type of behaviour diminishes the quality of life for everyone here. It makes Bermuda a less attractive place to live and work or visit.

“They are acting in an oppressive and intimidating fashion.”