BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE suspense surrounding the proposed electoral boundary changes within the Federation has eased momentarily after top officials from the People’s Action Movement (PAM) revealed a number of the recommended changes, calling the move “boldfaced political manipulation”.
Yesterday (July 1), during the party’s monthly press conference, Deputy Leader of the party Hon. Shawn Richards said although he was not a member of the Boundaries Commission, he was kept informed of the proposed changes to the constituency boundaries.
In Richards’ report, he indicated that Constituency Eight Polling Division One (Cayon Health Centre) was recommended to be part of Constituency Seven; the final polling station in Constituency Three, which covers West Farm, Boyd’s and Trinity, be added to Constituency Four; and that the Half Way Tree area only be added to Constituency Five. His report also indicated that constituents living in the Half Moon Bay area be moved to Constituency One, and Greenlands and Wades Garden area to be added to Constituency Three.
“Interestingly, no changes were proposed by the Technical Committee for the island of Nevis where you have the second largest constituency, Nevis Number Nine – the seat held by the Leader of the Opposition. I have heard that at the Boundaries Commission level however, changes were suggested and added to be part of the report. That in itself has been causing quite some controversy on the island of Nevis,” Richards argued.
“Interestingly, you would note that the only constituency that no changes are being proposed is the constituency which is held by the Prime Minister – Constituency Number Six. One must wonder why constituencies are being changed with the exception of that constituency,” he added.
Richards considered the suggested boundary changes to be an “unfair and a clear case of gerrymandering”. He asserted that following the last General Election, the margins that the incumbent St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) led by in 2000 had been significantly reduced, underscoring that “the Labour Party is by no means more popular than it was last elections”. The PAM official indicated that the boundary changes seemed to have been designed to remove polling stations of strength to the opposition party in order to “strengthen their hand”.
Meanwhile, the party Leader Lindsay Grant has strongly condemned the recommended boundary changes. Although the Election date remains unknown, he argued that changing the boundaries at a time he considers “close to the General Election”, is a “deliberate, manipulative attempt designed to confuse the electorate and secure an unfair advantage on behalf of the ruling party”.
Grant stressed that the suggested boundary changes should have been made with more time before the General Election. He also claimed that such changes have reduced the nation’s electoral process to the “level of a mere political game”.
“The fact is, our Federation is so small, our population and constituencies so small, that these ‘dead of night’ changes can be the deciding factor in any particular race. PAM cannot afford to take these chances. The people cannot afford this. This election is too serious – there is far too much at stake. The survival of future generations is dependent on the fair and proper governance of our country,” Grant warned.
The party leader however stressed that PAM would not be intimidated and informed that his party filed a challenge yesterday against the Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Attorney General to address the issue of the “unconstitutional basis of any change and the unfairness this would cause in the upcoming General Elections”.
“We have instructed them [PAM’s board of lawyers] to do this as quickly as possible so that we can see the integrity of our electoral system restored. We have asked the court for a speedy trial in this regard, so that these matters which underlie our democratic system are not allowed to linger without resolution,” Grant said.
The PAM Leader concluded by saying that he expects a fair trial in the interest of democracy but quickly added that if a fair trial is not granted, his party would take the issue to the Court of Appeal and would take to the streets and march in protest of the changes.
After discussion at the Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the report would be passed to the Governor General who would in turn send a draft resolution of the recommended changes to the Prime Minister. This resolution would then be discussed in National Parliament before agreed upon.
Grant however explained that once the court grants the injunction upon hearing it today (July 2), the recommended changes, which were expected to reach National Parliament tomorrow (July 3), would have to be deferred for later discussion.
