The so-called March for Democracy
By Earle Clarke
In all of the articles I have written about PAM (The People’s Action Movement), I have always illustrated the fact, that the party always wants to point a bleak picture of the Labour Government and the country. The so-called March for Democracy and Electoral Reform was nothing more than a jump up in order to get people on the street. Was it a march? If so, why did they have to bring the Burning Flames jump up band from Antigua?
In life, nothing bad ever happens. When PAM advertised their so-called march for Independence on the 17th of August, Hurricane Dean was on the war path, so they had to cancel their march. If they had marched that day, the event would have been a disaster, for no one was taking them on. Having realized the disaster, they would have faced, they dared not postpone it for the following week, as Labour did with the launching of the Land Distribution Initiative which was to be launched on the 17th August, but postponed until the following Friday 24th and which was well attended.
The People’s Action Movement went around the length and breadth of the country for weeks after, and, at every meeting, there was a jump up band and a load of eats. If the issue at hand – Electoral Reform was such an important one, the occasions on which they held their street meetings would have been solemn, because, Electoral Reform is something of a sacred nature as it affects the democratic process of the country.
If Electoral Reform is so sacred to the hearts of the citizens of the country, why the jump up atmosphere with the jump up bands?
One has to ask him or herself, if PAM is really serious about Electoral Reform? The answer to that question is a resounding NO!!! For, if they were really interested in Electoral Reform, they were invited by the authorities to participate in the process and they adamantly refused.
If they believed that the Democratic Process was under attack, they should have accepted the inviting hand extended to them, to come and air their views. They had a glorious chance of being a part of the process they marched against and they smudged it.
They are like a rude brat. They cannot get their own way, so they are throwing tantrums by criticizing a process they refused to be engaged in. One therefore has to ask, “Is PAM really serious about Electoral Reform? Does PAM have any moral authority to criticize Electoral Reform? Look at what PAM did when they were in power?
PAM, in 1983, went into the House of Parliament and passed a Law, changing up the Electoral System within a matter of three (3) hours. They held no discussions with anybody. They delivered the Order Paper for the sitting of the House to the Opposition, the same morning of the sitting of the House of Assembly.
Mr. Lee L. Moore, who was Leader of the Opposition at that time, was in the High Court the same morning when the Order Paper was distributed. He asked for an adjournment and he was refused the adjournment. Dr. Simmonds went into the House of Assembly and passed the Law, changing up the Electoral System within a matter of less than three hours.
What moral authority does PAM have to come and request Electoral Reform, never mind to criticize a process which is more transparent than ordinary glass? They possess no shame at all. My grandmother, God Bless her departed soul, would say and I quote: “Their shame box mash up”.
What moral authority do they possess, when, in altering the Electoral Law, they changed the meaning of the word or the term “Residence”? Dr. Simmonds declared that, if a man has a girl friend with whom he sleeps now and then and he leaves a part (trouser) or a shirt there, he can claim that he lives there, even though his postal and business address is elsewhere.
Dr. Simmonds further declared that it would be impossible to remove names from the list of the voters. Even when a Death Certificate was presented, great difficulty was encountered to remove the person’s name from the list.
Thomas Rex Molyneux also known as Tommy Molyneux, a Surveyor lived at Conaree Village. Tommy Molyneux died and we from East Basseterre went to remove his name from the voters list. We did not anticipate the interference of Dr. Simmonds in the matter. When we arrived at the Electoral Office, Dr. Simmonds came and argued that there could be another Tommy Molyneux, even though Dr. Simmonds attended the funeral. Tommy Molyneux was his school mate and close friend.
The final result was that Tommy Molyneux’s name remained on the list. Everybody knew that there was only one Tommy Molyneux in St. Kitts. Everybody knew that. Where is the moral high ground that PAM possesses to march against Electoral Reform? Which Blacksmith repaired their shame box? Which Blacksmith?
My grandmother always told me that I must do good at all times, because, when I did good, good would always be following me. If I did evil, or performed any deed with evil intent, it would surely catch up with me, the same way that the moon runs until daylight catches up with it.
The new Electoral Reform introduced by PAM in 1983, was intended to keep PAM in power forever. They forgot that they were not the rulers of the world. They only administered the affairs of tiny St. Kitts and Nevis. The Electoral Law which they introduced to keep them in power forever and forever is not working for them anymore.
The new Electoral Law is too transparent for them. They cannot deal with it, so, what should they do? They should throw a spanner in the turning wheel. Smash up everything.
Who would want to take their fingerprint? Who would want to feel like a criminal? The last time Mr. Grant was arrested for breaking the law of the land, he was photographed and fingerprinted.
The Democrat Newspaper came out viciously about the treatment of Mr. Lindsay Fitzgerald Grant, claiming that he was treated like an ordinary criminal. He did not commit any criminal act, yet he was fingerprinted. The same Mr. Grant, who should not have been fingerprinted when he was arrested, now wants everybody to suffer the same humiliation of having their fingerprints taken. They attempt to calm the minds of people by saying “when you visit the United States of America, you are fingerprinted. Does anyone really feel great joy in having heir fingerprints taken? NO!!!
No one relishes the thought of having their photos taken, never mind their being fingerprinted. PAM is also aware that the younger generation would object to the taking of their fingerprints. If the majority of the young people refuse to take their prints, it means that the majority of our young people would not be able to vote, clear and simple. Disenfranchise a large number of our citizens. Throw a spanner in the turning wheel, smash up the Electoral Process.
PAM does not want transparency. It was never a party which advocated transparency. Inside PAM itself, if you read the Constitution which was introduced almost twenty years after it was formed, the ordinary members cannot choose their leader. The ordinary folks, who were seen jumping up behind Burning Flames, have no say in the day today running of the party.
How many of those ordinary folks who were jumping up, have access to the Constitution of the People’s Action Movement? The reason why they do not have access to their Constitution is that PAM was not formed for no barefooted, porter, poor folks, cane cutter, domestic servant, store clerk, taxi-driver, carpenter, mason, labourer to have any say in the day to day running of the party, because PAM was not formed for them. They could fill the ranks, but hey would be voiceless.
PAM does not want the Electoral System to change. You see, they crafted the law in 1983. They know how to manipulate that Electoral Law. The new Electoral Laws are a challenge to them. It is too transparent. All the names which have been on the Voters List from 1983 until 2007, twenty four live long years, and could not be erased, will not be cleared from the list. PAM does not want that.
They cannot bring down people from Antigua to go to Old Road to vote in people’s name. Their Electoral stunts are stymied unworkable. PAM itself does not really believe in fingerprints. A big PAM supporter, who marched for fingerprints to be taken, confided in me, that she does not relish the idea, because she is no criminal. She said that a lot of the high-up members do not relish the idea either, but they had to bolster Lindsay, because he is the only leader available right now to lead the party.
As I said before, the Democratic Process of a country is something which is sacred. To introduce a jump-up band from another country to draw people to your march for Democracy is sacrilegious. It is an insult to the high esteem of any country in which democracy is being trampled upon as PAM wants the outside world to believe.
One man, one vote? We have been practising that since Adult Suffrage was introduced in 1952.
PAM is not a party of transparency. It was shown in their administering of the country from 1980 to 1995. PAM is like a vampire. They cannot face the sunshine of transparency and they are afraid of the dawn of new beginnings of any process which they cannot introduce. I have attended many sessions on the Electoral Reform and everybody at these functions have said “No Fingerprinting”. THEY ARE NOT CRIMINALS
