Although agreeing with the choice of a referendum to decide Bermuda's cantankerous Independence debate, the National Liberal Party yesterday slammed both sides of the House of Assembly for their performance during Friday's session and reiterated the Opposition's call to exclude non-Bermudians from the vote.

"The result of Friday's session demonstrated mutual disrespect by our elected legislators for each other,'' said NLP leader Mr. Gilbert Darrell.

Criticising members of the United Bermuda Party in particular, he added: "The insolence on the part of the Government as it closed ranks on this matter was noticeable. The Government should have been working towards some unity in spite of any shortcomings of the Opposition.'' In a 20 to 18 vote, the House of Assembly passed the Independence Referendum Act on Friday over strong Opposition protest but with the full support of Government backbenchers who had fought the measure over the past 12 months.

Under the new legislation, which must be still be approved by the Senate, 40 percent of the Island's electorate would have to vote in favour of Independence for the question to be answered affirmatively.

The new bill would allow an estimated 300 Britons who were in Bermuda before 1976 to vote in the referendum -- a privilege that was vehemently protested by Opposition MPs in the House on Friday and just as strongly criticised by the NLP leader.

"The NLP believes further attempts should be made to remove the non-Bermudian voter from this poll,'' Mr. Darrell said. "It was unfair and unjust and unnecessary in the first place.'' Although the party leader said that a motion for a joint select committee should have been tabled on Friday to facilitate "joint action by a united legislature (in) determining what was best for Bermuda,'' he did agree with the Government that a referendum was the best way to decide the contentious issue.

"Under the circumstances, this appears to be the only course of action for Bermuda because of the division in the Island over Independence,'' Mr. Darrell said. "The voting population will determine if we should or should not pursue Independence.'' On the other hand, Mr. Darrell also took issue with the 40-percent requirement that Government included to appease its rebel minority, calling it "undemocratic and confusing.'' "The fairest and simplest procedure is a simple majority of the votes cast,'' he said, adding that any voter who "refuses to vote'' is "not interested in the outcome'' and "should not be able to cast his vote.''