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Posted: Sunday 28 August, 2016 at 7:59 AM

Dr. Douglas explains delay in naming Electoral Commission nominee

Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas
By: Terresa McCall, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LEADER of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has explained his reasons for previously refusing to name a nominee to sit on the Electoral Commission.

     

    It was recently reported by WINNFM that former Attorney General Jason Hamilton was nominated by the Opposition Leader and appointed to the Commission by His Excellency Governor General Sir Tapley Seaton.

     

    That media house also reported that with the Chair of the Commission – Lawyer Nassibou Butler - being appointed since mid-2015, the Opposition had “reportedly refused” to submit the name of its nominee. Frank Evelyn was the Government’s nominee.

     

    The Commission, which is constitutionally provide for, is to consist of three individuals; one nominated by the Prime Minister, one by the Leader of the Opposition and one by the Governor General, all of which to be appointed by the latter.

     

    Speaking with SKNVibes, Dr. Douglas, former Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis explained that he had been previously advised by the GG that it was important for him to name a nominee for the Commission. He said however, that there were other unresolved matters pertaining to his office as the Leader of the Opposition which needed to be addressed by the Government as a matter of priority.

     

    He said these included: 1 The withdrawal of his security detail as former Prime Minister without adequate notice, 2 Locating and earmarking a physical space to be used as the office of the Opposition Leader and 3 Common practices regarding the office of the Opposition Leader were not being observed. These common practices - he said - include the issuance of the diplomatic passport and refusal to grant duty-free concession on the importation of his vehicle.

     

    He informed that some of these matters are yet unresolved but clarification has been achieved.

     

    “So with all of those issues standing in the way of the normal functioning of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, that matter therefore in our opinion was not urgent. Now, I believe the situation is settling. We are in discussions on having the office of the Opposition Leader open. I believe that in time, a number of these issues are resolving themselves. The matter of my diplomatic passport has been raised several times in our Parliament, it has been discussed…these matters have been clarified with time and as a result we are moving forward.”

     

    Dr. Douglas offered congratulations to Hamilton on his appointment, explaining that he was selected from a group of suitably qualified individuals.

     

    “I did that on consultation with my colleagues. And after we had settled on the nominee who is Jason Hamilton – whom we had believed was fully qualified – I did inform His Excellency the Governor General and just…a few days, I received a copy of a correspondence from His Excellency indicating that the appointment has been made.

     

    “So I would like to use this opportunity…to congratulate Mr. Jason Hamilton who - as I said - I think is qualified to pursue this very important constitutional responsibility, to ensure that the electoral system and process continues to be fair and just in service to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.”

     

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