Date: Sat 30-Sep-2000

Cox: Meetings showed `hurt' By Stephen Breen

Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox said yesterday she was not surprised that the public meetings on long term residents had become so heated. Many foreign residents, or those standing up for them, were heckled at the four public meetings.

Ms Cox said yesterday: ``It is a very hot, emotional subject, and what we saw was people ventilating feelings and concerns. ``I think people feel strongly, and there may have been some heckling, but also there was clapping and moans when people didn't agree, but there wasn't anything particularly ugly. ``Also, we saw issues other than in the Green Paper on long term residents where there was some accumulated hurt and anguish. ``It extended to other issues such as education, immigration, work permits and race.

``There seemed to me to be a genuine acknowledgement that there is a need to do something, even if it is not specified. These public meetings gave people an opportunity to ventilate feelings. ``There was a concern about the need to draw a line in the sand and there was an acknowledgement that some people had integrated, but there was a concern that some people should not be seen to benefit who had not contributed. ``Not everyone feels comfortable standing up at public meetings and the numbers can be daunting, so it is reassuring that people are not loathe to send in written submissions.``As the meeetings progressed, the levels of participation among long term residents, non-Bermudians and Bermudians increased.''

Ms Cox said she hoped to debate the Green Paper in the House of Assembly by Christmas and to have the final policy paper published within a year. Meanwhile, she is encouraging people who want to make written submissions by email to send them to either of these addresses: mazhar@bdagov.bm, mbrewer@bdagov.bm and pcox @bdagov.bm.

Written submissions can also be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs,Government Administration Building, Parliament Street, Hamilton.