declaring their interests and holdings in local businesses. That seems to us to be a sensible precaution in a Country where politicians are part time and where many people have quite obvious conflicts of interest.

Some of the conflicts are very open such as Government Ministers and Opposition Shadow Ministers who sit on publicly announced bank boards. However people do have private interests which should be a factor to consider in public debates on various issues. It strikes us as very odd that Sir John Swan and Mr. Maxwell Burgess took part in debates in the House of Assembly on the Grape Bay Ltd. (McDonald's) issue when they were principals in Grape Bay Ltd.

Clearly politicians who have nothing to hide will have no problem in being open and honest in declaring their interests. It really comes down to the ages old adage, justice must be seen to be done.

We think that a declaration of interests does not go far enough. Politicians should be interested in protecting their own image and should add a law calling for members of the Legislature to decline gifts of any kind which exceed a nominal sum; say, $50. Those gifts would include money or anything easily converted into money but they would also include trips and holidays and entertainment.

There was a time when life in Bermuda was a good deal less complex than it is today and we probably did not need to worry about such things. Today Bermuda is becoming a major centre for international business and there may well be people who would like to seek favour with politicians. That can be a much bigger problem than politicians declaring their interests.

Once the international rich came to Bermuda to mind their own business, relax and enjoy Bermuda. They took virtually no part in local affairs or in local businesses although they often contributed a great deal in volunteer areas.

They had no interests to further or to protect except the houses they occupied. That is still true of a great many people today but not all.

People with huge amounts of money can very easily have overwhelming influence in tiny places and Bermuda is a tiny place. What's the saying, money talks? Bermuda has always been remarkably free of any kind of smelly practices and it has to remain that way. The people have to be sure that everything is above board.

There have been a number of reports lately suggesting that some politicians may be accepting favours that are questionable. Certainly fancy trips and such things as loans would and should raise eyebrows. The trouble is that once this kind of thing is accepted it tends to grow.

It may be time to make it clear to everyone that influence from outside is not acceptable and that politicians must be above that.