United Bermuda Party chairman Jeff Sousa rebuked party candidate Tillman Darrell for saying the UBP is acting like a "secret society" — claiming he should be able to find out what's going on by attending caucus.

Mr. Sousa also criticised Mr. Darrell for only appearing in the news to speak out against his party, instead of coming forward earlier to talk about issues in the Pembroke South East area he fought for in the 2007 General Election.

He argued Mr. Darrell's comments had unfairly reinforced the UBP's image as the Forty Thieves.

"Tillman is a great guy and has a lot to offer the country, but at the last meeting he was saying we shouldn't be going to the newspaper and saying different things; we should be as one voice, united," Mr. Sousa told The Royal Gazette.

"Many of the very vocal Members of Parliament have consistently told Tillman and others they can talk about crime, versus going to the newspaper and talking about the UBP to state that they are operating like a secret society.

"People know more about the UBP than they do their own households. We are very transparent. Tillman sits in caucus as an adopted candidate. He has been invited to sit in other meetings and stuff.

"There's a perception in the community that the UBP is a bunch of white Forty Thieves businessmen. I'm here to say that's not the case. It's not the truth.

"The issues still remain: crime, education and housing. A young man like Tillman who is street-smart should be out banging the drum on crime."

Earlier this week, Mr. Darrell, who joined the UBP in the early 1990s, told this newspaper he had been unable to tell people on the streets what was going on inside the beleaguered party, because the parliamentary group was discussing key issues in meetings behind closed doors.

Mr. Darrell said he had been forced to rely on the media to keep him up-to-date with how the UBP is planning to recover from a succession of setbacks in recent months.

He also said calls for reform by methods such as removing old guard MPs and changing the name had been fought against by established party members.