THA polls above board

The Senate unanimously passed a Bill to validate the EBC’s Ninth Report on the Tobago’s THA boundaries, which the EBC had sent to Government on December 22, 2008 — four months outside of the legal deadline. The Ninth Report keeps former boundaries, but renames two electoral districts (THA “seats”).

Speaking as a former EBC Commissioner, Baptiste-Mc Knight said it was her duty to correct two alleged misstatements about the 2009 THA polls made earlier in the sitting. “When I sat on the EBC I became very sensitive to the fact that, particularly emanating from this place, the Parliament — both Houses, there were always a lot of accusations and innuendo about the “deception”, the “corruption” that emanated from that place (EBC). I think it would be wrong of me not to correct these two statements that were made here, this afternoon”.

Firstly, she denied boundaries were changed for the 2009 THA elections, saying the 2008 report had not come to Parliament before the 2009 THA elections.

“Therefore the report under which that (2009) election was held was the 2004 report. Therefore there were no changes, I repeat no changes in the 2009 election”. Baptiste-Mc Knight said the Ninth Report changes the names of two electoral districts, but this won’t occur until the report is accepted. “So I would like the record to show that contrary to what has been stated, the THA 2009 election took place with no changes in the boundaries.”

Baptiste-Mc Knight also took issue with allegations that certain communities had disliked where they were placed in various electoral districts.

“I want to make it very clear that changes in boundaries of districts, made by the Elections and Boundaries Commission, are made not of their own choosing but in accordance with the rules laid down in the Second Schedule of Act 25:50. So that whether the communities like where they are or not, they must blame the rules adopted in this Parliament in the appropriate legislation. The Elections and Boundaries Commission can only change boundaries in accordance with those rules”. Earlier Opposition Senator Shamfa Cudjoe had urged the EBC to consult local communities before deciding boundaries, lamenting for example, that a piece of Black Rock was electorally lumped together with Canaan. Likewise, Minister in the Ministry of Tourism and Tobago West MP Dr Delmon Baker, visiting from the Lower House, had complained that the tiny village of Mount Grace is split between three electoral districts.

Baker also alleged irregularities in the handling of special ballots of Tobagonians who had voted in Trinidad in the 2009 THA polls. “After the special ballots were added, the results changed, alleged Baker. “We asked the THA to explain, but did they do that?”. At that, Opposition Senator Fitzgerald Hinds shouted, “Take action. Old allegation”.