Bermuda must not send the wrong message to the outside world or disaster could be the outcome, former Premier Sir John Swan warned yesterday.

And he told The Royal Gazette Government and the Opposition must stop their petty bickering and concentrate on the issues which affect the Island's long-term future as Bermuda had enjoyed unprecedented success to date and its status as a first-world Country could be put at risk.

His comments came after Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson called on Bermuda to decide where it belonged and where it was going in the future.

The guest speaker at the closing event of the Progressive Labour Party's annual conference said togetherness between the Caribbean and Bermuda would be beneficial to both countries' futures due to their common heritages and ancestries.

Mr. Patterson backed his comments with a warning that overseas probes by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development and the UK White Paper rewrite of relations with overseas territories could hurt Bermuda.

But Sir John responded: "I think Bermuda has always known where it belongs -- in the first-world country marketplace.'' And he said he felt teaming up with the Caribbean was not the way to go.

"If it is mutually beneficial we can work together, but we must recognise that because of our proximity to, and the relationship we have built up with the Americas, that we must stay on a course that is in Bermuda's best interest,'' he said.

"We must not send out a signal that puts that relationship at risk. In this changing world it could cause us to lose that special relationship.

"That does not mean to denigrate the relationship we have had with the Caribbean, and the continuing relationship that exists. But if we send the wrong signal to the US, then we do so at our own peril.'' Sir John turned to comments made by Mr. Patterson about the OECD and the UK White Paper and called on Government and the Opposition to clear up public confusion about the respective topics.

He pointed out that the Island had negotiated a special signatory arrangement with the OECD after it met sufficient criteria and that this level of acceptance was higher than what any Caribbean island had achieved.

This helped define Bermuda's position as a first-world country, he argued.

And Sir John said the OECD was not attacking Bermuda but was stressing that all Britain's dependent territories had to meet OECD regulations.

"And as such, Britain has spelt out the conditions that this organisation expects its dependent territories to meet and these apply to Bermuda as much as they do to the rest of the dependent territories,'' he said.

But Bermuda did not fall in the same category as other dependent territories doing business, he stressed.

"As a matter of fact, Bermuda's control of money for laundering and any other nefarious purpose is probably the most stringent control of most places in the world which would include some major signatories to the OECD agreement,'' Sir John contended.

"Therefore we have to be careful not to point a finger at ourselves as though we are the guilty party when other areas within the dependent territory jurisdiction need to regularise their affairs.

"We need to ensure that our relationship with the OECD organisation is strengthened and recognise that organisation represents developed countries and that sheer criticism of the organisation will not solve the problem but co-operation and recognition that the world is changing and the demonstration of capital, investment and technology that is growing in the world applies to Bermuda as much as it applies to any country wishing to participate in global affairs.'' And the White Paper's key issue appeared to be the subject of UK citizenship which seemed to be "dangled in front of us like a carrot on a stick'', said Sir John.

Government, Opposition need long-term view: Sir John The main issue surrounding the OECD and White Paper topics was the public's lack of understanding about them.

And Sir John said this was because of the lack of communication between the Government and the public -- despite open dialogue being encouraged by the Government when it was the Opposition.

"Therefore the Bermuda public remains confused, ambivalent and lacks the ability to logically reason about and participate in what is now taking place.

"That coupled with the suggestion that we now align ourselves with the Caribbean says that when we have a void it will be filled by inappropriate suggestions that are not in our best interest.

"I therefore call on the Opposition and Government to start a dialogue with the Bermudian public on what is truly our position vis-a-vis our relationships with the US, Canada and Britain so the public in its utterances and educational processes can express its views on matters that will affect them.'' The Opposition also had to play its role, Sir John stressed, by defining what was the successful formula used to get Bermuda to the position it enjoyed now so the public could determine what ideologies the Island was moving away from.

"Ours is a Country that throughout its history has always found itself smart enough to place itself in a preferred position,'' he said.

`Today we stand at the crossroads once again. I earlier said that Government is on a learning curve and I recognise that there are some limitations.

"We need to reduce the confrontation about mundane issues and focus on the issues affecting people long-term in Bermuda.'' Otherwise, Sir John warned, disaster could strike.

"It starts like a slow avalanche, but grows inextricably into something that produces a disaster,'' he said.

"What form will the disaster take? "It will send a signal to the community of Bermuda that it has lost its way.

"It will send a signal to the business community in Bermuda that we are changing direction from what caused them to come to Bermuda in the first place.'' And it would send a message to the world that Bermuda was no longer a place to consider setting up a business in, he added.

Then people might move money and business initiatives off-Island, causing a decline in the economy and eventually the Bermudian dollar would no longer be on par with the US dollar.

"The end result will be that, like in many places,'' Sir John said, "our currency will start to devalue and opportunities for the people to educate themselves elsewhere will diminish.'' Sir John: Recognise the relationship built up with the Americans.