discussion but we must wonder why Government, after years of debate on the subject, could not make a decision without further public acrimony.

One thing is clear. It is immoral for any country to use the most productive years of people's lives to the country's benefit and return second class treatment. Anyone who has been accepted to live in a country for 20 years or more is surely acceptable as a citizen.

The Green Paper contains a variety of possible solutions but the most talked about seems to be a working resident card, or "Green Card'', giving long-term residents the right to live and work in Bermuda indefinitely. That right could be revoked under certain circumstances and might or might not allow the holder to buy property on an equal footing with Bermudians. It seems clear that the card would stop short of allowing its holders to vote.

Some people may be tempted to see this as an acceptable compromise. Indeed, we are surprised that it seems to have gained acceptance among some groups of non-Bermudians. We see it as a very weak solution to a very complex problem.

If a person is free to live and work here and pay taxes, surely they should be free to have a say in who governs them. The accepted principle is no taxation without representation.

People who have been thought valuable to Bermuda for over 20 years should be able to conduct their lives without the fear that the next time their permit comes up they might be sent home.

The truth is that many of these people who were asked to come here and provide Bermuda with their labour and their expertise make a greater contribution to the welfare of Bermuda than many Bermudians. Very often they have done their job well or they would not have been kept on but they have also contributed extensively to other aspects of Bermuda's life from the arts to sport. We think that very few of them are nine to fivers if for no other reason than that they feel a need to demonstrate their contribution.

It has to be accepted that if any long-term resident has transgressed against Bermuda to any extent they would have been sent home. The fact that they are still here is ample evidence of their acceptability.

As Shurnette Caines of the West Indian Association has been quoted as saying, "we have served. We have given. At least give us some rights.'' Bermuda can by its own nature never be self-sufficient in the skills it requires. It will always need other people. It may be that in the future these people should come into Bermuda for limited periods. However Bermudians should understand that very few top notch people with any self respect would do that because of the uncertainties of future employment elsewhere. Bermuda deserves the best and we think limited employment would deprive Bermuda of the best.