Deputy Prime Minister Condor and Hon Marcella Liburd Must Re-Register where they live
Basseterre, St.Kitts, December 15th, 2011 -- On Friday, 9 December, 2011, Registration Officer for Central Basseterre, Mr Wingrove Archibald, wrote to Vincent Byron, the lawyer representing two voters on the Voters Register for that Constituency, informing him of the Registration Officer’s long-awaited decision to allow eight (8) of the thirty-nine (39) objections made by the voters to names on the Register of Voters published on 31 January, 2011.
The correspondence was in response to a letter dated 23 November 2011 from Counsel for the two voters, Mr. Jonel Powell, demanding a decision in these matters by 30 November, 2011 failing which the voters would have no other option than to go to Court to force him to hand down his decision.
The eight objections allowed were against the names of Deputy Prime Minister Sam Terrence Condor, Parliamentary Representative for Constituency No 3 and his wife, Mrs Eugenie Condor, Hon Marcella Liburd, Parliamentary Representative for Constituency No 2, Hon Curtis Alden Martin, Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Linkon Maynard, Mr Karlweiss Liburd, Mr George Fough and Mr Frederick McDonald Lewis.
The objections were made on the ground that none of the thirty-nine (39) individuals had a residence in Constituency No 2, Central Basseterre.
The two registered voters for Constituency No 2, Dorette Rawlins and Stella Taylor, made objections to the 39 names since 10 February, 2011. These objections were heard by the Registration Officer at two hearings on 9 March, 2011 and 16 March, 2011, some nine (9) months ago, attended by representatives of the PAM and the Labour Party.
Compelling evidence was led by the two voters concerning the persons objected to, stating where they knew the persons to currently reside, and to rebut the stated residence given on the Register.
Of those objected to, the Hon Marcella Liburd attended and gave evidence on oath that she grew up in Dorset in Polling Division 3 and that her name has always been on the Central Basseterre Register. She had confirmed her name there. But she also stated unequivocally to the Hearing that she currently resides at Bird Rock in Constituency No1 which corroborated the evidence of the Objectors. The Registration Officer has duly removed her name from the Constituency No 2 Register.
Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor whose address on the Register is Cayon Street in Polling Division No 2, sent a message indicating that he was away on Government business and could not attend. However, evidence was led by the Objectors that he and his wife have built their home and have resided in Bird Rock in Constituency No 1 for many years. The Registration Officer has duly removed their names from the Constituency No 2 Register.
Mr. Linkon Maynard was registered at Cayon Street in Polling Division No 5. He also attended the Hearing and gave evidence on oath that he lives at Mattingley in Constituency No 3. Surprisingly, the objection to his wife, Mrs Verlyn Maynard, who was also registered at Cayon Street in Polling Division No 5, but who did not attend the Hearing, no doubt because she was abroad, was disallowed by the Registration Officer. No reason was given.
The Objectors accepted evidence provided by Labour agents in his absence, that Walford Gumbs resides at Shadwell Housing. They also accepted the evidence on oath of Nigel Rawlins that he currently resides at Durant Avenue in Polling Division No 2.
However the Objectors are very concerned that the Registration Officer disallowed objections for which compelling, uncontroverted evidence was led and which was not contradicted by those objected to who did not turn up and for whom no one gave evidence.
Most of those individuals who were objected to and whose objections were disallowed are well-known and where they reside is no secret to many in the general public. Roosevelt Jabbo Trotman and his wife, Erma, live at Harbour View in Constituency No1. Their objections were disallowed.
Franklin Weatherman Dorset and his wife Louvena, live at Bladen Housing Development in Constituency No 1, yet their objections were disallowed.
The hairdresser, Ezra Juliette Queeley, “Lolly”, and her daughter, are registered on Central Street where she has her business place, while it is well-known that she resides at East Park Range, in Constituency No 1. And Beresford Byron has a nice home at Lime Kiln where he resides in Constituency No 3. And their objections too were disallowed.
The two Objectors are members of the PAM’s Central Basseterre Constituency Group which has committed itself to do its part to work to clean up the Register of Voters. They urge all voters to register where they live. While there has been only limited success in removing some names of people who do not reside in Central Basseterre from the Register of Voters, the Group acknowledges that this is a start and they are confident that they will be significantly more successful next time around when the next Register of Voters is published on 31 January, 2012.
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