Cole Simons expressed support last night for the decision to refuse the Reverend Nicholas Tweed’s work permit.

While Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, the Minister for Home Affairs, has come under heavy fire from the Progressive Labour Party, the People’s Campaign and others in the wake of the announcement, Mr Simons, the Acting Minister of Home Affairs, said the decision was the right one.

“It would have been easy to roll over and sweep the lack of compliance with immigration rules and regulations under the rug,” he said last night.

“But as the minister rightly said in her statement, the decision was anchored to a principle that all Bermudians can support and uphold, and that is one set of rules for everyone. To do otherwise would open the gates to the inequities and injustices that so many Bermudians across decades fought to end once and for all.

“The minister’s decision protects Bermudians in the workplace and the integrity of an immigration system that is designed to uphold principles of fairness, equal treatment and transparency. In effect, she is saying no to one set of rules for some and another set of rules for the rest.”

Announcing the decision on Thursday, Ms Gordon-Pamplin explained that Mr Tweed’s job had not been advertised and the application was incomplete and contained inaccuracies

However, Chris Furbert, president of the Bermuda Industrial Union, dismissed her statement as “four pages of garbage”, alleging that the decision was made because the One Bermuda Alliance government does not like Mr Tweed’s activism.

Responding, Mr Simons said: “It is my understanding the applicant did not advertise the position as required and that the application itself was incomplete and contained inaccuracies — despite Immigration Department efforts to sort things out.

“I would humbly suggest that if this were another application, Mr Furbert would be supporting the Government’s handling of the matter. But on this one he wants the Government to bend the rules. There’s no future in it. It’s a position that opens the door to favouritism, friends and family. Don’t we want to get away from that?

“Bermuda must be about fair play and building that level playing field wherever and whenever the opportunity arises.”