When Opposition MP Ms Renee Webbe, in the course of heckling the Government in the House of Assembly last Friday, said former Environment Minister Mr. Tim Smith would have been dumped form the Cabinet if he was black, she was echoing a view held by some black Bermudians.

Not all Bermudians, and few whites, would have agreed.

But it is such episodes which highlight differing views and differing perceptions among Bermudians on the subject of race.

And there are few areas where differences between the races come more into play than in jobs and the opportunities for economic advancement.

Until the end of the Second World War, whites, especially those descended from the Island's old merchant families, flourished economically while most blacks did not.

The economy's rapid growth after 1945 and the development of the civil rights movement in the 1960s changed that, but inequities remain and for many, the question of whether they are a result of racism -- overt or institutionalised -- draws many different answers.

As one white businesswoman explained: "It is not always about race.

Sometimes, it may be seen to be about race, but it's really about greed.'' While preferring to be anonymous, because of concern for her small business, the woman in her late 30s said she grew up in a part of Bermuda where racism was never an issue, where people worked with each other, regardless of skin colour.

Ernst & Young partner at Kempe & Whittle, Mr. Tony Joaquin, who is also the first black president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda said: "There's a lot said and written about institutionalised racism. There is no doubt that it exists.

"However, from a business standpoint and a public accounting standpoint, you can see it is rapidly changing.'' He is one of just three black partners in the "big six'' public accounting firms in Bermuda, but he noted that was a marked improvement on the situation some years ago when there were none.

"The marketplace is demanding professionals. Race, or gender, is not an issue, as it once was, and I've seen rapid changes. It used to be difficult to attract any qualified Bermudians. It is definitely changing in my profession.'' Partner at Appleby, Spurling & Kempe, Mr. Jay Kempe, said quite flatly: "In my personal experience, I haven't seen cases of racism. I can't see how it could exist in international business and I've never seen it. Business people are more concerned about professionalism, experience and service than people's race.

The lawyer added: "At Appleby, Spurling & Kempe, the sole criteria for employment or advancement through the firm is merit. There are no barriers at all on race or gender.'' But a young, black, professional man stated: "How can you expect whites to believe there's a problem with racism when they have been the beneficiaries.

"Okay, if they haven't all benefited, they, at least, were not the persecuted. They may have seen it practised, and even unwittingly been a party to it, but may not have recognised it as racism.

"It is so much harder for my white friends to be sensitive to such an issue, because they've never been on the receiving end. I certainly don't discuss it with them and it's not like I dwell on it, or think about it all the time.

"Why should I talk to my (white) friends about how others treat me, just because they are of the same race? Why would any self-respecting man humiliate himself in that way? "And finally, I have a family to support. Please don't use my name in the newspaper.'' Not every business person was comfortable discussing the issue. One of Business: Progress and failure black businessmen, Mr. Frederick Yearwood, very politely declined to comment, although, in fairness, he has rarely made any public statements in the media in his 65-year long business career in Bermuda.

Former Premier Sir John Swan last Friday spoke against racism on the floor of the House of Assembly.

But this week, Sir John, declined to speak on the subject with this reporter, claiming the newspaper was "part of the problem'' and doubted its ability to bring perspective to the race issue.

Another former Premier, Sir David Gibbons, the chairman of the Bank of Butterfield and CEO of Gibbons Company, said the entire community had to recognise racism for what it was.

And prominent lawyer Mr. Arnold Francis, Bermuda's first Queen's Counsel and a founding director and first president of Bermuda Commercial Bank, spoke candidly about racial experiences that affected both the bank and his law firm, Richards, Francis & Francis.

Senate President Albert Jackson advanced the view that while Bermuda had experienced a "peaceful revolution'' in race relations over the last 30 or 40 years, there remained something lacking, another level to be achieved before full integration could be realised.

He noted how sporting events like Cup Match remain predominantly "black'' while this month's World Rugby Classic drew mainly white spectators.

Sen. Jackson said that even during the "peaceful revolution'', it was blacks who joined white clubs, not whites joining black clubs.

The Bermuda Commercial Bank grew out of the Provident People's bank, opened in 1969, and was known for a long time as Bermuda's "black bank''.

The legal work establishing the bank was done by Mr. Francis, who was approached by mainly black business people who were active in the Vernon Temple AME Church in Southampton. They had started with the ill-fated Provident Savings & Loan and then went into partnership with Barclays Bank to open the new Bermuda bank.

Quoting Shakespeare, Mr. Francis said: "As a black businessman, and a practising lawyer, I suffered `the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' that existed in the community generally.'' He said: "The other two major banks and the major businesses, almost ipso facto, carried their business to the white firms, and to firms that had a white image.

"When (former Premier) Sir Edward Richards and I formed Richards, Francis & Francis in 1980, to be quite frank, I thought Sir Edward's outstanding contribution to the community would be a reason that we would obtain more business from the white commercial community.

"But old habits die hard and that was not to be. Sir Edward, of course, was not very active in commercial legal practice before the formation of Richards, Francis & Francis.'' The fact the firm failed to attract white business was seen by the firm as a reflection of the business community's culture. The firm today has both white and black lawyers.

But has the corporate culture's race selection mentality changed? "It has changed, but not significantly,'' said Mr. Francis. "We are steadily chipping away at it. Racism is a fact of life, and anybody who denies that has his head in the air.'' A cultural bias by white Bermudian business, however, may also be eroded by the growth of international business on the Island. There is a consensus that international companies are interested more in quality service, education and experience than the colour of one's skin.

Said Mr. Francis: "Often they are introduced to a name and the colour of the skin is irrelevant, so long as they can get the service. In some cases, though, they may be unlikely to settle on a black office, given a variety of choice. They often have had few business dealings with black businessmen in other jurisdictions.'' This year, the Bank of Butterfield commissioned a report by Dr. Carol Swain which said there were significant steps that can be taken to beat back institutionalised racism. See related story.

Sir David Gibbons, one of the Island's most successful white businessmen, said: "It is recognised that racism is wrong and has no place in Bermuda.

Where one runs into problems of course is where blacks and whites are competing for the same jobs.'' "That is where there's no doubt, and there is clear evidence, that over the decades blacks have been disadvantaged in respect of promotion and appointment.'' Mr. Francis pointed out that even though Barclays Bank was in business with black businessmen in Bermuda, some of the bank's executives came to the Island with pre-conceived ideas.

"Coming into a Bermuda context, it was clear that some of them were much more comfortable with white people, socially, and it would spill over into business relationships too,'' he said.

"It was not a Barclays policy, it was just individuals. There was one chap who came out as manager, who never had a colonial experience. All of his previous experience was in England. He turned out to be the most well-liked of them all and we got on very well. I had a close relationship with him.

"But some of the managers, who had previously been posted out in colonies, mainly in Africa, came out to Bermuda with certain racial, and perhaps colonialist attitudes.'' But Mr. Francis and Sen. Jackson, both in their 70s and both trailblazers in the black community, can remember the days when senior civil servants, top bankers and shopkeepers were all white. A steady change that has brought more educational opportunities than in the past for blacks is reshaping the racial mix.

And the presence of a "colour blind'' international business community, more concerned with performance than pigment, may be what will drive the Island toward more socio-economic equity.

INEQUITIES -- Amoing Bermudians, white-headed households have higher incomes than families headed by blacks.