I've changed my mind.
I'd thought of staying out of the discussion of the Opposition Leader issue, which is really a non-issue, but with the nonsense that is being peddled about the place, I am now stepping in.
You are already aware of the disgraceful haste with which some people rushed to discuss the appointment of a new Opposition Leader in the National Assembly to replace the late Malcolm Guishard even before the gentleman's body was given a chance to get cold in death.
And their outrageous campaign has not stopped.
In order to have been appointed Opposition Leader, Mr. Guishard would have first had to be elected to the National Assembly.
He was so elected, representing the Constituency known as Nevis 9. And the seat became vacant when he died on 11th June, 2007
If a seat in Parliament becomes vacant, there must be a by-election within ninety (90) days to fill the vacancy. So 11th September, 2007, is the deadline.
That is pretty straightforward.
Now let's see how Mr. Guishard became the Opposition Leader.
Section 58(1) of our nation's Constitution states that "there shall (except at times when no Representative is eligible for appointment) be a Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly who shall be appointed by the Governor-General."
Meanwhile, Section 58(2) states that "whenever there is occasion for the appointment of a leader of the Opposition the Governor-General shall appoint the Representative who appears to him most likely to command the support of a majority of the Representatives who do not support the Government, or, if no Representative appears to command such support, the Representative who appears to him to command the support of the largest group of Representatives who do not support the Government, provided that no Representative shall be eligible for appointment unless it appears to the Governor-General that that Representative commands the support of at least one other Representative"
In the general elections of 25th October, 2004, the CCM won two seats, NRP one, and PAM one.
Seeing that:
(1) no party in Opposition had a clear majority of the seats on that side of the National Assembly (with four seats on that side from the election results, a majority would have been three);
(2) the CCM had two seats; and
(3) the arithmetical formula was laid out for the Governor-General by Section 58(2) of the Constitution,
Mr. Vance Amory was appointed as Opposition Leader.
However, at the time he was also Premier of Nevis, and he later wisely yielded the post to Mr. Guishard, whose death on 11th June, 2007 opened up two vacancies in the National Assembly, namely, the seat for Nevis 9, and the post of Opposition Leader.
Mr. Guishard's death also changed the arithmetic on the Opposition side, bringing CCM down to one Representative
So right now, and until the by-election is held, each of the three parties represented on the Opposition side of the National Assembly, namely, CCM, NRP and PAM, has one seat.
As you have seen from reading Section 58(2) of the Constitution, it is the Governor-General's duty to appoint the Representative who appears to him either to command the support of the majority of Representatives on the Opposition side, or if there is none who can do that, then to appoint the Representative who appears to him to command the support of the largest single group on the Opposition side.
Mr. Amory, the single representative for CCM, is supporting himself but he does not have the support of Mr. Nisbett of NRP, or that of Mr. Richards of PAM.
And likewise for Mr. Nisbett and Mr. Richards.
Effectively, and presently, therefore, each of the three is presently a one-man show. None commands the support of any kind of majority or group, and, accordingly, none is eligible to be appointed as Opposition Leader.
Now, we all know that the Governor-Generals power to appoint an Opposition Leader under the Constitution is clearly defined and delineated.
The Constitution tells him that there will be times when he can, and other times when he cannot, appoint an Opposition Leader.
This scenario which we presently face is a time when His Excellency cannot appoint an Opposition Leader.
He will have to wait for a time when he can. And that time will come when, within ninety (90) days, the result of the by-election in Nevis 9 is decided.
At that time, either CCM or NRP will be in possession of two seats in the National Assembly, and one of the two Representatives from the winning party will approach the Governor-General and say:
"Your Excellency, I have the support of the largest group of Representatives in the National Assembly who do not support the Government, and I wish to be appointed as Opposition Leader."
To which His Excellency will reply in his deep, rich voice, and in writing:
"Sir, you are hereby so appointed."
And that will be it.
The new Opposition Leader will be paid a specific stipend, will have the run of a Government-paid office and will be able to nominate a Senator to the National Assembly.
In addition, he will be the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and will have other responsibilities and privileges that come with the post.
Now, it must also be understood that notwithstanding the vacancy, the National Assembly can still function.
Indeed, it met just last week, and I didn't hear any member present, or anyone else for that matter, questioning the validity of the proceedings.
Yet, with all of that, a small group of persons, even before Mr. Guishard's body went cold, started agitating for the Governor-General to appoint Mr. Shawn Richards of PAM as Opposition Leader.
They must know that what they seek cannot, in the present circumstances, be justified in the law.
Is it that they want the Governor-General to embarrass himself and the Crown?
Do they think that the one PAM seat in the National Assembly adds up to more than the one CCM seat, or the one NRP seat? It seems so.
But that's not the worst of it, you know. PAM is the only party on the Opposition side of the National Assembly which cannot gain an extra seat in this by-election.
CCM can move up from one to two, and so can NRP. Of course, only one of them will, but the fact of the matter is that each has a chance. PAM, on the other hand, has no chance whatsoever.
Yet, with all of that, PAM is saying, not only for now, but even after the CCM or NRP wins the by-election and moves up from one to two seats, that PAM's one seat must count for more than CCM's or NRP's two.
PAM is saying that Mr. Shawn Richards, representing one seat, must be Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, with all of the extra powers and opportunities that go with it, and Mr. Vance Amory, Mr. Patrice Nisbett, and the other Nevisian who wins the by-election, must play second fiddle to him.
Lindsey Grant is declaring that his boy Mr. Shawn Richards, with his one seat, must be able to add a PAM Senator, while a Nevisian party with two seats, must sit back and let that happen.
How outrageous can Mr. Grant be!
You know, I even heard a PAM gentleman caller to a radio talk show arguing that neither of the Nevisian parties is really an Opposition party in the National Assembly, and that no matter how many seats they hold, once PAM has a seat in the Opposition, its Representative should be the Opposition Leader, and it must be allowed to add a Senator to the National Assembly while a Nevis Party with two seats must take a back seat in a parliament and nation in which Nevisians have the same rights as Kittitians.
Or at least that is what I thought. It seems that PAM thinks otherwise. And the raging campaign that is being waged on the radio to have Mr. Shawn Richards appointed as Opposition Leader has exposed the raw, ugly, undemocratic, disrespectful and arrogant nature of all who are behind it.
I was amazed to hear of one radio station engaging in a poll as to who should be Opposition Leader without any discussion or explanation of the law, and doing so with reckless disregard for propriety and democracy, or for the political parties and the people of Nevis.
How can anyone say, even think that the Nevisian political parties or people are less than equals of their Kittitian counterparts in the national political process?
Where, in Constitution or conscience, can that be justified or defended?
Why can a Nevis politician not be the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly?
Why does PAM want the Nevis politicians to join them if necessary to oust Labour but would deny them the right to lead the Opposition?
And after the by-election dust settles, I suppose that PAM, just having gone through a 90-day period of disrespecting Nevisian politicians, parties and people, will extend that treacherous embrace of "friendship" to CCM and NRP in a bid to gain friends for the Federal Elections.
Is there no end to the arrogance and to the craving for power?
I'll be perfectly honest with you. I never anticipated this level of foolishness from PAM. Arrogance, yes, but foolishness, to this level? No.
Before I end, just a footnote on another topic.
I hear that Mr. Grant told the BBC that the national debt is one of the causes of crime in the Federation, and that poverty is another.
He can assist with the crime problem in a most significant way by encouraging KFC pay up its Restaurant Tax and Island Enhancement Fund (which are an additional 9% on the KFC bill).
That would reduce the national debt by about $1,000,000.000 and also, according to his theory, help to reduce crime.
With regard to poverty alleviation, he can help there too.
If KFC is really a snacket, and not a restaurant per se, as he has allegedly claimed, then in one fell swoop, he can reduce the cost of the popular KFC by a solid 9%. All, he has to do is to stop charging the poor people the added on 9% that is on all of the bills.
One way or the other, he has it within his power to reduce, in a significant way, the national debt or reduce poverty.
So the next time he speaks to the BBC, he must tell them what he has actually done to assist in our nation's effort to reduce crime, poverty and the national debt.
Until Next Time,
Plenty Peace.
