BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (JUNE 21ST 2004) - St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas says the issue of campaign financing will be discussed as part of electoral reform which will be implemented following full and extensive consultation with the people of the twin island Federation.
He told a mammoth crowd at a political meeting of his ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party in Central Basseterre, that accountability of campaign funds spent during an election will be an issue for discussion by the people.
Prime Minister Douglas said independent persons will look at the present electoral system, which was introduced during the administration of the now opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) “to advise Government and eventually, the Cabinet will take a decision after consultation with the people as to what the new system will be like.”
“It will mean a review of the constituency boundaries by the Electoral Boundaries Commission according to Section 49 of the Constitution of St. Kitts and Nevis. This Commission will consist of five persons: the Chairman appointed by the Governor General in his own deliberate judgement, two members of the Commission will be appointed from the National Assembly by the Prime Minister and the other two will be appointed by the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly,” Dr. Douglas said.
“Electoral reform will also include a review of the constituency boundaries. Sandy Point (Constituency Five) is too small and it is time that Sandy Point is attached to Newton Ground (part of Constituency Six). Old Road (Constituency Four) is also too small and will have to be reviewed. Constituency Two is too large for one constituency, which has more persons that all of the three constituencies in Nevis,” said Prime Minister Douglas, whose St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party governed St. Kitts and Nevis from 1952 to 1980 and from 1995 to the present.
He noted that as recent as 1995, the Commonwealth Observer Group found that the ‘voters of St. Kitts and Nevis have been able to cast their ballots in an environment free from intimidation or harassment and in a manner which provided the people of St. Kitts and Nevis with the opportunity to vote freely for the candidates of their choice. There was transparency of procedures and the secrecy of the ballot was assured.’
“Nothing is wrong with the system to the point where it does not give you a fair winner,” said Dr. Douglas, who in an interview with the BBC last week, said his Government has no intention of changing the present system with just nine months to go before the next General Elections, constitutionally due by March 2005.
“I have only about nine more months before these elections are called. I would not want to tamper with the system at this stage and then someone accuses me of tampering with the system in order to secure a victory at the polls. I will not get into that,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
He said the people of St. Kitts and Nevis have confidence in the present electoral system. “It is the same system (introduced by the then People’s Action Movement (PAM) Government), which we have been using since 1983 when we became independent and since then, we have had no less than five elections. Four of those elections were conducted with that system under the People’s Action Movement (PAM). I only have one election and that is the election of 2000 that was conducted on the very same system that the People’s Action Movement is now condemning and saying it has no confidence in” Prime Minister Douglas told the BBC.
