Language in Government's Independence position papers is still "iffy,'' says Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade.

The papers tabled in the House of Assembly on Friday did not represent "a commitment from the party or the Government,'' which was not committed to taking Bermuda to Independence, Mr. Wade said. "It's still essays, really.'' Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan's "party is not committed to these papers, nor is his Cabinet.'' While the United Bermuda Party Government has no position for or against Independence, position papers on how an Independent Bermuda would be governed were approved by the party caucus.

But Mr. Wade said there was considerable soft language and "iffy'' wording in the papers. If the Premier was to disappear, so would much of what was contained in them, he said.

The PLP has urged its supporters to boycott the August 15 Independence referendum.

Mr. Wade said he did not want to comment in detail before party meetings last night and today, but felt there were "no major revelations'' or anything new in the position papers.

In the area of citizenship, Mr. Wade said it appeared that Government planned to take away the foreign vote, but then make the roughly 300 non-Bermudians who now have the the vote citizens. Because of the 20-year guideline for long-term citizens to be eligible for citizenship, those non-Bermudians who were registered to vote in 1976, and were therefore on the Island in 1973, would be eligible for citizenship under Government's plan, he said.

Mr. Wade said those non-Bermudians were being "enticed'' to vote for Independence. "That's the kind of thinking that has gone into these position papers. I think that is reprehensible.'' Like the UBP, the Progressive Labour Party would offer citizenship to all who held Bermudian status, whether by birth or grant, he said. And nobody would be left stateless as a result of Independence.

But the party would look at permanent residency for long-term residents, while deciding citizenship "on a case by case basis.'' National Liberal Party spokesman Mr. Graeme Outerbridge said the position papers did not go far enough on electoral reform. Like the PLP, the NLP wanted single-seat constituencies of equal population size, even if parish boundaries had to be crossed, he said.

And the NLP wanted the Constitution "guaranteed'' by either the United Kingdom, United States, or Canada, he said. If there was a coup in Bermuda and the Constitution was being ignored, the power guaranteeing the Constitution would intervene to assure its supremacy was restored, he said. The 1.3 million annual cost outlined was an area of concern "given Government's track record,'' he said.

"Things that Government initiate always end up costing a lot more than they seem to in the beginning,'' Mr. Outerbridge said.

The whole issue of Independence was "really badly handled by the UBP,'' he said. "It was something that didn't work its way up through the grassroots of the party,'' but was almost "an inner Cabinet decision.'' The NLP also objected to the PLP's call for a referendum boycott, which "muddies the water,'' he said.