BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DWYER ASTAPHAN, Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Number Two, said he refuses to discuss the report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission until the matter is resolved in court.
The parliamentarian was not present for Thursday’s (July 9) meeting of the National Assembly in which a resolution containing the Report was passed and forwarded to the Governor-General (His Excellency Sir Cuthbert Sebastian) for his signature.
Speaking exclusively to SKNVibes, Astaphan said his decision to remain mum on the matter was motivated by his ethical and moral standards.
“The people who elected me would want me to stand on principle and not discuss the matter until it was resolved. I would be going against the spirit of the court order. If my constituents disagree with the decision, then I respect that. But they elected me to take leadership on what I consider to be a matter of principle and I will not offend that,” he stressed.
Over the past week, the contents of the Report have come under scrutiny by St. Kitts opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM). PAM representatives have been particularly vocal, as the Report recommends changes to existing electoral boundaries within St. Kitts and Nevis with less than a year before general elections are constitutionally due.
PAM has filed several injunctions to prevent dissemination of the Report and the matter is set to be heard in the High Court on Monday (July 13). However, the pending court action has not deterred Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil Douglas from pushing forward with the resolution.
Astaphan revealed he had several apprehensions about the issue, including the court orders and the timeframe of the boundary changes. Additionally, he expressed disappointment at not being notified of an emergency session of Parliament held Wednesday (July 8) in which Douglas initially tabled the Report.
“Notice of a sitting normally comes seven days in advance; in emergency situations, the timelines are squeezed down to nothing. However, I was not notified at all and from what I have heard, I was the only member unaware of this session. In fact, a journalist phoned me inquiring about whether or not Parliament was convening and that was how I found out about that meeting.”
Astaphan added that when he arrived in the House’s chambers that day, Douglas had already begun the process of laying the Report. Although Astaphan declined to give his opinion of it, he had cautionary words for the voting public and for politicians.
“The electorate is losing and, as leaders, we must ensure this does not happen. I have already asked the people of this country to reject any politician who makes them into a political pawn. I want to encourage political parties and their leaders to engage the public in sensible discussion and let the enlightened public decide who they want to choose,” Astaphan advised.
