The hourglass measuring the life of this seventh Parliament since Independence holds scarcely a few grains of sand and its quickly losing those as the final day rapidly approaches. With less than three weeks left before the automatic prorogation of Parliament as mandated by the Constitution there can be no legitimate argument that there is a pressing need for a change in boundaries that cannot await the result of the next election. Additionally, the decision of Mr. Justice Thomas that the Constitutional provision that a boundary review occur within no less that 2 or more than 5 years is directory and not mandatory makes the legal position ambiguous but it certainly does not give this Labour government any legal authority for the assertion that a boundary change is required.
The idea that this Labour government is somehow bound by the recommendations of the Commonwealth Assessment Mission to change the boundaries is simply ridiculous. In the first place that group has no authority to dictate to any government and the Denzil Douglas regime undermines its own case by refusing to even consider several other recommendations such as the scrapping of the old voters list and the enumeration exercise among others. What Prime Minister Douglas wants people to believe is that the only recommendation that he wants to follow also happens to be the only one that he is somehow mandated to follow. Also, as the judgments of Madam Justice Joseph – Olivetti and Mr. Justice Thomas show clearly this Labour government has chosen to willfully ignore an injunction of the High Court; a body which has the authority to dictate to any government in order to do what it likes. So, the idea that Prime Minister Douglas would abide by a mere recommendation that he does not like is laughable.
When we recall that this unconstitutional process of Electoral Reform which should have ended with the boundary changes and election in July of this year began more than three years ago and that this Labour government had all the time in the world to effect the changes in a lawful manner it becomes clearer that the current shenanigans are all about narrow partisan politics. After the Prime Minister, as Minister of Elections, had the Federation and Diaspora go through a farcical process of “confirmation” and caused many thousands of people to change their registration it is clear that he is only now trying to change it again because he is unhappy with the results of his own process. He is so unhappy with the results of his own polls that he knows that it is only by confusing people and intimidating people so that on polling day many are unsure where they should vote or afraid to come out that he feels that he can “win”.
Regardless of what Prime Minister Douglas or his well paid spokesmen say there is nothing in the law or the various judgments of the court that require boundary changes between the end of November and 16th December. The change that the law requires right now is a change in government; the election is overdue, the boundaries can wait!
