BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE membership of the Constituency Boundaries Commission (CBC) has been significantly weakened as news reaching this media house indicates that two members representing the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) resigned this morning (Nov. 16).
Hon. Vance Amory and Hon. Michael Perkins have tendered their letters of resignation to the CBC, a commission constitutionally mandated to review the number and delimitations of constituency boundaries in the Federation.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Perkins confirmed the move to resign and informed that a detailed statement would be released later today. He said the release is expected to answer the numerous questions that would follow such a controversial decision.
The CBC met for its first official meeting on June 5 of this year and produced a report making recommendations to change the delimitations of constituency boundaries on the island of St. Kitts.
The report was then laid in Parliament on July 8 and passed on to the Governor-General to sign the proclamation, making the proposed constituency boundaries law.
Main St. Kitts opposition party the People’s Action movement (PAM) challenged the report with claims that it would go against the rules of natural justice to change constituency boundaries in what they considered to be “the eleventh hour”.
PAM subsequently launched a judicial review of the work of the Commission.
On October 19, presiding judge His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas, pronounced the signed proclamation null and void, explaining that the feeder committee to the Commission, known as the Boundaries Technical Committee, was unconstitutional and of no legal effect. Allegations of bad faith, improper purposes and bias filed by PAM in the same case were all rejected as being “insufficient”.
Notwithstanding the judge’s ruling, the CBC made another move in late October to reconvene and make new recommendations for boundary changes. However, the implications of the resignation of Amory and Perkins on the further work of the CBC are not known at this time.
SKNVibes contacted CBC Chairman Anthony Johnson, who declined to confirm the resignation or to give a comment on the work of the CBC.
Both men were recommended to be members of the CBC by the Federal Opposition Leader, Hon. Mark Brantley.
The resignation comes exactly one month before the automatic dissolution of Parliament, which would take place on December 16 if Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas does not do it sooner.
