Bermuda: A Vote Against Racism

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At first glance, Bermuda and the Bahamas might seem picture-postcard duplicates. Both Caribbean resort islands have a heavy Negro majority and a predominantly Negro party with the same initials (P.L.P.). Each also has a largely white-and business-dominated party with the same initials (U.B.P.). But there, all coincidence ends. In the Bahamas, the predominantly white United Bahamian Party was decisively voted from power in elections held last year. In Bermuda, voters went to the polls last week and just as decisively re-elected their predominantly white United Bermuda Party, giving it a commanding majority of 30 seats in the island's 40-seat Assembly.

Led by Hamilton Banker Sir Henry Tucker, the United Bermudians won on the strength of their solid, four-year record for expanding the island's tourism and prosperity and lowering its color bars—both socially and politically (TIME, May 10). In last week's elections, seven of the party's 30 winning candidates were black, and Tucker is purposefully broadening party membership so that the proportion of black members will match the island's Negro majority (63%). Without any other strong issue, the opposition Progressive Labor Party resorted to racism, campaigning on a platform of independence from white Britain, limits on white immigration, and fiery attacks on the white United Bermudians. Last month, pre-election tensions and some bitter P.L.P. speeches had set off an ugly race riot in downtown Hamilton. It caused $1,000,000 in damage and forced the British Governor, Lord Martonmere, to impose a curfew and declare a state of emergency. That, clearly, was not the image most Bermudians had of themselves or wanted for their island, whose principal industry is tourism for contented tourists—and they said so at the polls.