would have the choice of becoming citizens of an independent Bermuda. Twenty years was the figure Bermudian politicians seemed to favour but that figure could well have been wrong. In fact it was quite possible that the United Kingdom Government, at a post Independence constitutional conference, would have put forward a much shorter time, even as short as five years residency in Bermuda. Of course, the United Kingdom Government would have been interested in the fact that many of the people involved in having a choice of citizenship are United Kingdom citizens and the United Kingdom Government would not have wanted them to be badly done by.

Now that Independence was rejected by the people the politicians are, of course, dancing to a different tune. The Minister responsible for Immigration is splitting hairs over the issue by saying that there is not an easy solution because people cannot be granted citizenship in a dependent territory. That may well be technically true but we think it is being used as an excuse. There is nothing to stop the Bermuda Government from saying that all those who have been here for more than 20 years can have Bermuda Status. Those who are not British subjects will, of course, first have to become British but that happens now if they are to be granted Bermuda Status and seems to be only a formality if Bermuda agrees to status.

If people have been here and contributing to Bermuda for 20 years, often the most productive years of their lives, surely we know whether they are desirable or not. If they are undesirable, why have we allowed them to stay so long? It does seem extraordinary that politicians would make promises for "after Independence'' which they are not prepared to keep in any case. These are the same people, leading the same lives in the same Country who would have been acceptable citizens in an independent Bermuda. They would have been no different the day after Independence than they are today. Bermuda has to learn to be straightforward about these issues, to stop changing the rules, and to stop playing political games with people's lives.

It is misleading for politicians to make conditional promises to people. A promise made in this kind of circumstance should be fulfilled no matter what the outcome, otherwise it appears to be punishment for the people. Politicians seem to be saying, "Those of you non-Bermudians who could vote, and those of you Bermudians who have non-Bermudian relatives should have supported Independence, but we did not win so you can't be Bermudian.'' Surely what would have been correct the day after Independence is just as correct today.