BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE political landscape of the twin-island Federation is taking a new shape with the recent Court developments between the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and the Opposition Members of the Federal Parliament.
Information reaching this media house states that the Federation’s Attorney General, the Hon. Jason Hamilton, has filed a Notice of Application to discharge the Conservatory Order that restrains the Governor General, Sir Edmund Lawrence, from acting on the Report submitted by the Constituency Boundaries Commission and also from signing the Draft Proclamation on the proposed changes.
The Notice of Application was filed at 3:20 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 13) following the Conservatory Order granted by His Lordship Justice Darshan Ramdhani on Monday (Sept. 9).
The injunction was filed by four Opposition Members of Parliament, who claimed that the Constituency Boundaries Commission had arbitrarily arrived at its decision to realign the Federation’s Boundaries, and that it was done without regard to the Rules stated in Schedule Two of the Constitution and also with the aim to adversely affect the Elections results against them.
The parties involved in this Court matter are the Constituency Boundaries Commission, which comprises Chairman Peter Jenkins, the Hon. Dr. Asim Martin, Hon. Marcella Liburd, Premier Vance Amory and Senator Vincent Byron Jr.; the Governor General, Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and the Attorney General
According to Charles R. Jong, “The Attorney General in the Notice of Application asked that the Conservatory Order be discharged on the basis that there is no justifiable claim of a violation or intended violation by the Second Respondent, the Constituency Boundaries Commission, of any right granted to the Claimants under Section 50 of the Constitution of Saint Christopher and Nevis (the Constitution) or any other provision of the Constitution and that the Claimants have no right under the Constitution or any other law to represent a particular Constituency in the next General Elections.”
The injunction is to be heard before Justice Ramdhani on Friday (Sept. 20).
