BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH two Parliamentarians on the Government Benches raising stern opposition to the Senators (Increase of Number) Bill, 2012 which is currently before the House, there is a strong possibility that it will not be passed into law.
Tabled late last year, the Bill seeks to double the number of Senators in Parliament which now stands at three.
The Bill proposes to (1) facilitate the election of a Deputy Speaker, (2) provide for more human resources in dealing with more complex government business and (3) address issues of gender imbalance within the law-making body.
During the near nine-hour debate yesterday (Jan. 16), both Government and Opposition Members made clear their stance on the matter, with the former (who have thus far debated) being in support and the latter (who have thus far debated) objecting to the increase.
The nation and wider community watched and listened with baited breath to hear if the popular suspicion that embattled the Senior Ministers – Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor and Timothy Harris - would oppose the Bill. And oppose the Bill, they did.
Condor – in a passionate and emotional presentation – proposed that the Parliament, which is to represent the views and interests of the populace, is breaching a rule of democracy by seeking to reform the legislative body in the middle of a Parliamentary term and without consultation with the people.
“Every time from 1952, we had an increase in Members of Parliament it came through the electoral system, the electoral process. That was the focus; that was the emphasis. Because that is how a democracy works. And the people who worked that in the Constitution that (there) could be two thirds of the representatives when they were increasing the Members of Parliament, consciously and deliberately increased it through the elected representatives.”
Condor also argued that to have the number of Senators attached to the House increased to six while the number of elected representatives sits at 11, “is too high a proportion of Senators to have in a unicameral system of government”.
In response to the point that the Bill would allow for the better handling of the complexities of running the government, Condor submitted that an increase in Senators is not the answer, but rather there was need to build the capacity of the civil service.
He described the timing of the Bill as “instructive”, explaining that it comes at a time when issues of genuine concern about the country and its development are being raised in the Federal Parliament. He said he finds it “disquieting” and “discomforting”.
Dr. Harris – in an equally passionate and emotional presentation – made clear that he was speaking with the overwhelming support of those who elected him to public office.
The substance of Dr. Harris’ argument mirrored that of the Hon. Deputy Prime Minister, but he belaboured the point that the “Bill is out of sync with too many things” and that it is a distraction in the face of all the challenges that the people of the Federation are facing.
He deemed the Bill “unnecessary” and not in keeping with the best interests of the people who he represents and the country at large.
In addition to his suggestion that increasing the number of Senators dilute the voice of elected representatives, Dr. Harris said the country, of necessity, must prioritise if other more glaring issues are to be expeditiously addressed.
“Our people want their elected Members of Parliament to be respected as their genuine voice in Parliament. That is why they put us here...they want us to speak for them! We represent the legitimate voices of the people, and to bring more unelected Members in this Honourable House, in my view, at this particular moment in time when we can least afford it…
“…in 2013, we must begin to make payment to the IMF on the $224M, approximately, loans made available to us. We know that in 2014 it is principle and interest that have to be paid. So we are going to have a bourgeoning of the cost. This is not the right time, obviously, for that. It is not the right time. People need a little help and this Bill – in my view – is going to be hurtful because no matter how you twist it, no matter how you turn it, the truth is, all expenditures of government will ultimately be met by the people. Whether you pay it in VAT or you pay it in electricity or you pay it up at the hospital…
“And we are saying at this particular moment in time, the people really can’t take on that at this time. These three other persons, not necessary!”
The Bill, which was debated by other Members of the House, was not voted upon but rather Parliament was adjourned to resume on January 29, 2013.
With nine members on the Government’s Benches and Five on the Opposition’s, the suggestion is that, should Harris and Condor vote against the Bill, it would lend strength to the Opposition’s number, creating a stalemate (7-7).
