BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER Hon. Sam Condor has confirmed that the recent increase in Parliament meetings is because of the government’s insistence to lay the Report of the Constituency Boundaries Commission (CBC) as soon as possible.
The legislative body met every week in the month of November, passing a total of nine bills. Monday’s (Nov. 30) session was adjourned until Friday (Dec. 4) after lawmakers briefly discussed the Solid Waste (Amendment) Bill 2009.
In the upcoming sitting, Agriculture Minister Hon. Cedric Liburd will pilot the International Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora Bill 2009 through the House.
Amid rampant speculation that the frequent adjournments were a stalling tool by the government, Condor, who is also the Leader of Government Business, gave insight into its motives.
“It is absolutely about the CBC Report. We want to make sure that when the judgement comes we are ready,” he said. “We want to create the proclamation, but we gave an undertaking that we would not do so until the matters before the court were heard.”
The High Court is currently hearing a judicial review on the work of the CBC, which has the constitutional mandate of reviewing and altering electoral limits in the Federation. The challenge was lodged last week by opposition Parliamentarians Hon. Mark Brantley and Hon. Shawn Richards.
In October, a July CBC Report outlining changes to the electoral boundaries in St. Kitts was deemed invalid by His Lordship Justice Francis Belle. The Commission has met several times since the ruling, and many believe they have already presented Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas with a new Report.
The judicial review is expected to be concluded by next week and Condor confirmed that he and his colleagues were hoping for a Friday decision. Should that not occur, he said Parliament would again be adjourned for several days.
He however refused to speculate on what the government’s next move would be.
“I don’t imagine that the report will not be laid before the House’s dissolution (on December 16). But if it isn’t, I can’t predict whether or not Parliament will reconvene to lay the Report during an emergency session, which is allowed by the Constitution,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.
In response to Condor’s assertions, Leader of the Federal Opposition Hon. Mark Brantley said that Condor’s ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party was “abusing” the National Assembly and that boundary changes could not be considered an emergency, because the government had 15 years to implement them.
“Parliament is a very serious institution which discusses very serious matters. What we’ve seen in the last month or so is an abuse of Parliament by the government, where they’re calling Parliament ever so often and having these adjournments specifically and only because they’re waiting to hear the boundaries.
“So you have people bringing piddling matters to Parliament specifically and solely for that purpose. That is a very grave concern, because I consider it to be an abuse of a very important institution.”
