BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LEADER of the Opposition and Deputy Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Mark Brantley is of the view that the Boundary Changes would be tabled on Wednesday’s (Jul. 17) Sitting of the National Assembly and it would create problems in the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Brantley made this pronouncement Wednesday, last, during his weekly radio programme ‘On the Mark’.
The Opposition Leader said that while on his way to host his radio programme, he received a notice that Parliament would be convened on Wednesday but, at that time, he had not seen the Order Paper.
“I haven’t seen the order Paper yet, but I am hearing what the Prime Minister and his minority…his minority because he only has five sitting down over there, because all of you have seen that Sam Condor and Timothy Harris moved their seat and sat with the Members of the Opposition.
“I felt so good to see I get up and I am now leading a majority in Parliament. I am now leading, as I said, like I was the Prime Minister. I am leading a majority in Parliament. Five people I have with me. Douglas sitting over there…Douglas has four with him, and one of them, Patrice Nisbett, don’t really belong to him. Well, that is debatable! But Patrice comes from NRP, so Douglas only has three Labour with him. We have the rest over on our side. We have six to their five, but that five has now convened Parliament, they say for next Wednesday.”
Brantley told listeners to his radio programme that he heard the boundaries would be changed and, in detail, he spoke to those proposed for Nevis, particularly in his constituency...St. John's.
“Change the boundaries is what they are coming with. And you want to know the changes that the NRP has proposed for Nevis? I hope people sitting down. If you at home you better sit. If you have tears to shed, get ready to shed them now. If you have teeth to gnash, get ready to gnash them now. If you don’t have teeth, your gums will gnash right now, because the NRP with Labour are saying that the boundaries in Nevis should change.
“They say St. John’s is too big. That is fine! But they are now saying that some of St. John’s should go up to Gingerland. But here the smartness…They say Stoney Grove, go up the road here, take in areas like Farms, come back around, take in areas like Victoria Road, Church Ground, Cane Garden, way up Hermitage and then unto Elquemedo Willett Park all the way to Zion is now going to be St. George’s. So all of you who live in Stoney Grove, NRP says you must now go vote up in Gingerland.
“But hear the smartness…They know that areas like Church Ground, Victoria Road, Farms, those are strong areas for the Concerned Citizens Movement. So they say move all of those into Gingerland. And only areas now they are going to keep in St. John’s are going to be Cox, Cole Hill, Brown Hill, Cherry Gardens and Bath. That’s it! Those are the areas now going to be in St. John’s.
“But all of us who know the geography of Nevis know the closest part of St. John’s to Gingerland is Cox and Cole Hill. The closest part, if you run in a straight line from St. George’s Parish, no matter which way you draw the line, you must hit Cox and Cole Hill before you hit Stoney Grove and Elquemedo Willett Park. And I want people to consider that from Elquemedo Willett Park all the way to Zion they are now telling you is the electoral district of St. George’s. That is what they are saying!”
The Deputy Premier continued: “Now, we on the other hand have said, ‘Listen, if you gonna make a change at all, then the natural change you must make is the boundaries of the constituency so that you maintain the geography. The natural change that you must make is on the boundaries. So if you are going to put any of St. John’s into St. George’s to try and get a more equal number of voters, then it has to be the peripheries. Cox, Cole Hill and those areas must therefore go up Pond Hill into Gingerland because those are the natural areas which are on the border.’ You don’t bypass them because you think that NRP normally wins the Cox box. So you bypass all of those. You say let us keep those in St. John’s and then you come down just a slither…come down in and out and around and about, going into communities and taking them out that you feel are CCM’s strongholds.”
Brantley wanted to know what the voting population in those areas have to say about the changes.
“I want to know what Church Ground people have to say about that? I want to know what Church Ground people have to say, that they now will be voting up in Gingerland? I want to hear what Farms people have to say and the people right in Stoney Grove, what they have to say? That is the foolishness that is being proposed. And I am here saying, not wishing it, but I am saying if this minority government seeks to do this foolishness come Wednesday, there will be problems. There gonna be problems because you cannot be trying to hold on to power at all costs in this way and trample on the rights of the traditions of our people. You cannot do it!”
In response to a caller on the boundary changes in St. Kitts, Brantley said, “The details of the boundary changes in St. Kitts are also very startling, and I’m pretty sure that will be a matter for discussion on the talk shows in St. Kitts. But I believe the people on there will be shocked to hear what is being proposed and how the districts have been carved up to ensure safe seats for Labour and in Nevis safe seats for NRP, because that is simply what this is about.
“And I can tell you that we can’t sit idly by and see our democracy hijacked in this way, certainly not by a minority of elected Members in Parliament.”
