BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HON. Dwyer Astaphan, Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Two, has added his voice to the chorus of those calling for the speedy declaration of general elections.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday (Nov. 18), the former Minister of National Security expressed his displeasure at the current political situation.
“The country needs to go towards elections. The people out there have sense. If they want to vote for a particular party, they will vote for that party. If they don’t, they won’t,” he stressed. “They know what is happening, they know who they want to support. Whether it is this boundary or that, the people are ready for an election.”
On October 25, the Federation recorded its fifth year since the last general election. Elections are constitutionally due by March 16, 2010, three months after the dissolution of Parliament.
The election date has been the subject of much public query and speculation over the past months. In July, Parliament passed a report by the Constituency Boundaries Commission (CBC) detailing changes to the existing constituency limits.
Many expected Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas to announce a date shortly after; however, opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM) threw a wrench into the proceedings by obtaining an injunction that prevented the new boundaries from being applied.
A 13-week trial culminated in October with the CBC report’s nullification and the Commission subsequently announcing its intentions to meet again to review the boundaries. Amid high public anticipation, Douglas has remained tight-lipped about his plans for the date.
PAM officials and supporters have been particularly vocal in their call for immediate elections, a sentiment echoed by Hon. Mark Brantley, Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the Federal Parliament, and now Astaphan.
At a previous meeting of the National Assembly on Friday, November 6, Brantley noted his doubts about the motives of his Parliamentary colleagues.
“I am left to ask what we are seeking to achieve as a Parliament. We must do what is right, not what is politically expedient. It has been five years since the last election and we still have no idea when the next one will be so that the mandate of this Parliament can be renewed. Let us call the elections and get on with it,” the Nevisian politician had insisted.
Astaphan joined Brantley in calling for a new agenda and noted that his own political mandate would expire on December 16, the date of Parliament’s dissolution.
“I don’t believe personally that I have a political mandate after December 16. I can’t purport to come and stand here and speak on behalf of anybody after that.
“And I will not come here and stand here as part of any plan for anything going forward even before that if it means that it relates to anything substantive.”
