should be challenged on their motives, said acting Premier Eugene Cox.

Cabinet Ministers Dame Lois Browne Evans and Dr. Ewart Brown response to a poll indicating strong support for a conference on constitutional reform was in the end about semantics.

Acting Premier Eugene Cox told The Royal Gazette that he found the response to Government's reform initiatives "by a group claiming to be representative of the people quite extraordinary''.

He wouldn't comment on the actual poll results, saying he would want to study them first.

And Minister of Legislative Affairs Lois Browne Evans said: "A representative conference need not be a constitutional conference.'' Results of a poll conducted by Research Innovations were released yesterday.

The poll revealed that almost 75 percent of registered voters support a "representative'' conference on proposed changes to the Constitution before the changes are made.

The poll was commissioned by a recently-formed group -- The Association for Due Process and The Constitution which has threatened to sue the Foreign Office if the country does not get a conference.

The Association argues that the British Government made a promise in 1966 that further changes to the Constitution would only be made after holding a "representative'' conference.

Mr. Cox said he was at the 1966 conference and didn't recall that such a promise was made.

Cox slams group behind constitutional survey Besides, he continued, the reference point should be the 1979 conference, which he also attended.

At that conference, it was made clear by the British that only major constitutional changes -- such as Independence would require a conference, he said.

"The intent was not to have medium to minor changes go to a constitutional conference,'' he said.

The policy of the British Government -- unchallenged when the UBP held the reins of power -- was to "give major consideration to the views of the elected representatives'' in matters of constitutional change, he continued.

"I'm not at all convinced this is a legitimate endeavour,'' he said of the aims of the association. "I think they are unhappy with who is leading the changes.'' Shadow Legislative Affairs Minister John Barritt was unimpressed by Dame Lois' initial response.

"What's clear is that people want a conference where proposals are aired, discussed, debated and considered,'' he said. "The clarion call is for an opportunity to participate.'' Transport Minister Dr. Brown, who reiterated Dame Lois' response, was asked to explain what was the difference between a constitutional conference and a representative conference.

"A constitutional conference can very well be a representative conference, but a representative conference need not be a constitutional conference,'' he said.

Dr. Brown denied any suggestion that he was dismissing the significance of the poll results.

And when asked what the results meant to him, he said : "It's telling me that a significant number of people feel the need for a conference of some type.'' He said :"All along the issue has been about a constitutional conference. Why did they change the terminology ?'' Warren Cabral, the association's secretary, said that the terminology used in the survey was exactly that used by the British in 1966.