But the plan was branded an "obscenity'' yesterday by the Opposition leader in the Senate.

The Senate voted 8-3 in favour of "The Bermudian Status by Birth or Grant Register Act 1992.'' It followed hours of argument about why the register needed to be prepared.

And it reflected a similar row in the House of Assembly last Friday.

Opposition Leader Sen. Alex Scott said the register plan would be "manna from heaven'' for him on the election trail, encouraging Bermudians to vote PLP.

A bill setting up the Bermudian Status by Birth or Grant Register was introduced for a second reading by Sen. the Hon. Maxwell Burgess .

He described the "offensive'' process he and his wife had gone through to prove they were Bermudian before going on vacation to Mexico.

The register was a response to such frustration. It would make it easier for people to show they were Bermudians.

Sen. Scott feared the register would "diminish the birthright of the Bermudian''.

He was concerned that "real Bermudians'' would be affected but were not aware of the proposal because of a lack of Government publicity.

The concept of status was a mistake and this would compound it.

"Real Bermudians are now going to have to go through the charade of getting onto this list or making sure they are on it.'' It would possibly have been more helpful to have a list of those granted status rather than born with it, he added. "This list is an obscenity, in my judgement.

"I fear that someone, somewhere is going to attempt to equate the hallowed notion of citizenship with getting on this list.'' Bermudians who felt sure of their status could find themselves investigated by the authorities, he said.

Referring to the pass laws used under apartheid in South Africa, he added: "This is the first time to my understanding that we will have gone about a process of creating a parent list with which scrutiny can be made of our residents.'' Bermudians "real and true'', as Bermudian as the lighthouse, the snapper, the lizard and the hibiscus, might not be able to satisfy the requirements of the list.

Sen. Joe Johnson (Ind) said he feared the bogeyman as a child, but read the bill on the weekend and "could not find any bogeyman''.

Claims by Opposition members were unfounded, he said. "This register will not in any way diminish my birthright. I see this register as clarifying my birthright.'' However, he felt the bill should set a time limit for appeals, and said if the registrar deemed someone's name should be removed from the register, the name should remain until all appeals were exhausted.

Government Sen. Wendell Hollis said the bill would cut through red tape and make it easier to travel abroad.

Talk of threat to citizenship was misplaced, because Bermuda does not have a citizenship concept and Bermudians are British Dependent Territory citizens, Sen. Hollis said.

"The Act does not take away nationality from people,'' he said. "Nor does it give nationality to anyone. All it does is create a registry for those people who enjoy Bermudian status.'' Sen. Norma Astwood (Ind) said the bill was profoundly important, and therefore it was regrettable it was being discussed at Christmas time, when "most Bermudians have their attention directed elsewhere''.

Sen. Astwood expressed concern about a clause in the bill which stated anyone would be deemed to be a Bermudian while their name was on the register, regardless of whether they were a Bermudian at the time.

The section "is going to create a considerable amount of hardship, of hurt, and of anger if people's names are placed erroneously on the register,'' she said. "I am also concerned about what the legal ramifications could be for people who for short periods of time are Bermudians, and then are not.'' In general, though, "the Act I believe is intended to improve the opportunity for Bermudians to be recognised as Bermudians,'' she said. The bill demonstrated Bermuda's disadvantage in being a colony, and until the country achieves independence "we will be putting more patches on our quilt in an effort to protect ourselves from others,'' Sen Astwood said.

Government Sen. Jerome Dill said he agreed with Sen. Astwood's comments about Christmas. Because Bermudians are pre-occupied, "the obligation is very, very heavy on each and every one of us to act responsibly and to elucidate points clearly,'' said Sen. Dill.

In reference to Sen. Scott's comments about the registry diminishing Bermudian birthrights, Sen. Dill said: "It gets us absolutely nowhere when seemingly responsible members of this chamber behave in a manner which at least begins to approach the appearance of irresponsibility.'' Sen. Trevor Woolridge (PLP) said The Bermudian Status by Birth or Grant Register Act was "equally important'' to recent educational reform, but unlike the education changes, it was not publicised with a $90,000 video and public input was not sought.

"The man in the street knows little or nothing about this,'' Sen. Woolridge said.

He questioned what would happen to Bermudians who left the Island as Bermudians but returned to find their names not on the register. "This is frightening, this is what it is,'' he said.

And the mechanism to appeal a name on the registry would be used improperly, he said. "There are people with maliciousness in their minds who for $5 or a lot more would be prepared to pay, just to create a problem for someone else.'' Sen. Woolridge said Sen. Johnson should take another look for a bogeyman. "I am still not convinced that there is not something untoward'' in the legislation, he said. "Maybe that is too strong a word, but I do not understand what the necessity for this piece of legislation is, and if it is not to be used for something untoward, then what is the reason for rushing this?'' Senate President the Hon. Albert Jackson gave up the chair to speak on the bill. It is a right, not a requirement, to be included on the register, he said.

"When we are being offered a right, and we fight against it, this concerns me,'' Sen. Jackson said. "We are caught up in a condition of paranoia that is killing us, and it frightens me.'' Government Leader in the Senate, the Hon. Michael Winfield , echoed Sen.

Jackson's comments in attacking the Opposition members. "Today we have exhibited a degree of paranoia that I have not seen in this chamber,'' he said.

He compared the Opposition tactics to those of former US senator Joseph McCarthy, and said Sen. Scott's comparison of the registry to South Africa was "sinister.'' "There is no plot. There is no conspiracy. There is no loss of rights,'' said Sen. Winfield.

"There are no benefits,'' said Sen. Scott.

"There are significant benefits,'' replied Sen. Winfield.

Sen. Ira Phillip (PLP) said: "We are concerned about the way this bill is being railroaded through this Parliament.'' Government Sen. the Hon. Pamela Gordon said it was a benefit to be included on the registry and "for those who choose not to assure that they are on the register, then so be it.

"I know I will check to make sure that my children are on, for instance, and that I am on it.'' In response, Sen. Burgess, who introduced the bill, was particularly critical of Sen. Woolridge. He noted the senator had asked him to avoid personal attacks, but said: "If you want people to think you do not understand, act like you do not.

"You cannot act like you do not understand and then get angry and upset when people accuse you of not understanding,'' Sen. Burgess said. "There is no point in carrying on in that fashion and then begging for mercy in the last five minutes of your speech, not to be taken to task.'' Government Sen. Hollis said there were two mistakes in how the PLP viewed the register.

He said: "People who are not on the list are no way deemed not to be Bermudian, but everyone on the list is Bermudian.

"The other serious misconception was that Bermudians were going to use this list as a passport to get into other countries. What it does is makes it easier to get the passport.'' Sen. Woolridge said: "This is a great revelation that this list will not go to any other countries.'' And Sen. Scott added that the list would be a device to prevent information to other individuals, businesses and governments.

Sen. Winfield said: "The Opposition have this amazing idea that we will distribute a list of 60,000 or 48,000 names to hundreds of customs officers all over the United States.

"It is even more ridiculous to say that someone will punch all these names into a computer so they can be checked.'' Sen. Winfield said that the people travelling to other countries would still have to abide by their laws and produce a passport or birth certificate.

All three PLP senators objected to the Act in committee but declined to vote against the Act being passed.