A key plank of Ewart Brown's premiership has been the willingness to take on the race issue.

Some see him playing it for political gain, others believe he is again tackling a core issue which has too long been ignored.

Former PLP MP Reggie Burrows said: "At least he has put it on the table.

"Other Premiers have basically never agreed to talk about it. If you have a problem you have to talk it out."

Dr. Brown set up the 'Big Conversation' which saw groups come together to discuss race.

Former newspaper editor Tom Vesey backed the Premier's move to bring up the topic, despite some flaws in format.

"You have got to keep talking until you are sick of it," he said. "And you have to keep trying to persuade people, especially white people, that it is an issue and it does have to be dealt with."

But Mr. Vesey said a lot of that good work had been undermined by the Premier's casual but still hurtful comments and phrases such as 'plantation questions' — a reference to media questions which the Premier believes are framed in racial attitude.

"He may be doing it for fun but it undermines a lot of gains that have been made and achieves nothing other than applause from the cheap seats and returns," said Mr. Vesey.

And former Independent MP Stuart Hayward said the appointment of Rolfe Commissiong to head the Big Conversation was most cynical.

"It's one thing to be constructively debating race and another to be race baiting and I believe there is far more race baiting than healing," Mr. Hayward said.

"If you are looking to have a conversation rather than a harangue then Rolfe would be very low on my list of constructive consultants."

And Sir John Swan, a former UBP Premier who has offered support to Dr. Brown on some points, was also critical of the Rolfe Commissiong appointment.

He said: "If you skew the process by picking a messenger who only has one message you tend to end up with the type of message only welcomed by people who are looking for that.

"We are not looking for solutions to racial problems — we are getting to the stage of edict. But I don't think the average Bermudian wants that — this is a bi-racial society, so they want a consensus solution."

Sir John added: "It means you have to go out and communicate to the people and work with the people. It's a longer process as opposed to appointing someone you think has an attitude you like about something."

And Mr. Hayward also said the use of race baiting language to avoid accountability added to his mistrust of the Premier.

"Dr. Brown may have a point that he is being asked questions that might not have been asked of previous leaders," he said.

"But if, as his followers trumpet, the PLP has ushered in an era of increased freedom of speech, then he must expect the questions will become tougher and more probing.

"Labelling a question 'plantation' does not absolve him from providing an answer. Hiding behind race baited labels is exploitive and divisive, and these are not traits I admire in a leader."