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Posted: Thursday 29 January, 2015 at 2:03 AM

Boundaries gerrymandered to give NRP a seat...says Brantley

The Hon. Mark Brantley
By: Stanford Conway, SKNVibes.com

    CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – DEPUTY LEADER of the Concerned Citizens Movement, the Hon. Mark Brantley has accused Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas of gerrymandering the boundaries in an effort to give the Nevis Reformation Party a seat on Election Day.

     

    “He did not wish to ring the bell unless he knew what was happening with the boundaries! And by discharging the injunction, Her Ladyship made it possible for the new boundaries to go into effect, at least at the moment. And as a consequence, he felt he could ring the bell, having, in our respectful view, gerrymandering the boundaries not only to give himself a chance at re-election on St. Kitts, but to give his hopeless and hapless NRP in Nevis an opportunity to win even one seat.”

    Brantley made this pronouncement last evening on his weekly talk show – ‘On the Mark’.

    He was at the time explaining to his listening audience what transpired in the Court on Tuesday (Jan. 27) concerning the discharge of the Opposition’s injunction and the action taken since then. 

    “Your majority in Parliament, the members of Team Unity, we went to the Court and we sought to move the Court. The Court did grant an injunction but there was a debate as whether the injunction was granted in time, and the judge in an historic ruling on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. discharged the injunction, which in effect will permit the boundaries to proceed insofar as new boundaries are concerned.

    “So, as I sit here this evening, the boundaries have been changed. That is what the lawyers are telling us, that the judge has permitted the actions of the Prime Minister in changing the boundaries and that those actions are to proceed.”

    He stated that the Opposition is respectful of the Court’s decision and would always approach such matters within the ambit of the law.

    “I want to make it absolutely clear that we the members of Team Unity support the Judiciary, that we respect the Judiciary, we respect the independence of the Judiciary and you will not hear from us at any time any accusation or criticism of the judges and the Judiciary. The Judiciary is a co-equal branch of Government and they are there as our bulwark against tyranny and oppression.

    “I myself had gone to the Court before and had found relief not just on my own behalf, but on behalf of the People of Nevis.”

    Brantley however explained what action has been taken by the Opposition’s attorneys.

    “I am now told that lawyers, headed of course by the great Douglas Mendes for the majority in Parliament, that those lawyers have filed an appeal in this matter and are seeking from the Court of Appeal that the status quo of old boundaries be maintained until such time as an appeal can be heard.”

    The Deputy Premier claims what Dr. Douglas did in Parliament on Friday (Jan. 16) was unconstitutional.

    “Of course, we argue that we have a very compelling case that what was done was a travesty. It was not in accordance with the Constitution, not in accordance with the law, and all that was done was that in an effort to do it quickly. If you are going to do bad, do it quickly and then say that the Court and its jurisdiction have been ousted. 

    “That is the argument and Douglas is saying I was too quick and so whether I am right or wrong, the Court cannot comment because the Constitution says once I am done with what I am doing and the proclamation has been gazetted, then I have done all that is required and it matters not whether I did it properly, whether I followed the rules or didn’t follow the rules, the Court cannot enquire.

    “We are saying that that is wrong; that any action that violates our Constitution or fundamental and supreme law, that that action must be one that is subject to the scrutiny of the Court. And that is where we are and for the common purposes we must assume that the boundaries have changed.”

    He told his audience that the Court of Appeal would be sitting today (Jan. 29) at 9:00 a.m., and at that point in time the nation would know what the judges think is happening in the Federation.

    “As it now stands, the Election has been announced. We are told by the Prime Minister, Dr. Douglas, that Nomination Day will be the 6th of February and that Election Day will be the 16th of February,” he added. 

    Brantley is of the view that Polling Day coincides with a public holiday in the United States and that “the overseas votes, which are always critical, are going to be important”.

    He is however inflexibly wedded to the belief that old or new boundaries would not stop him from being victorious in his Constituency and those of Premier Vance Amory and the Hon. Alexis Jeffers as well as Team Unity’s candidates on St. Kitts. 


     
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