Black Immigrant Daily News

Julio R. RomneyPolitical Analyst

With one-third (5 out of 15) Members of Parliament having declared themselves as “Independent Members of Parliament”, this clearly undermines the fabric of our statutory Election System of Proportional Representation and endangered the application of proportional representation. It presents a danger for several reasons.

Chapter 4 of the Constitution clearly states that the composition of Parliament shall be based on proportional representation within the limits to be laid down by national ordinance. This means that the make-up of Parliament is required to reflect or “represent the entire populace of Sint Maarten”, elected by proportional representation.

By National Ordinance / Election Ordinance, this proportional representation is to be achieved through “the division of the total number of votes cast by the electorate by the number of available seats in Parliament”, referred to as “the election quota”. Thereafter, seats are assigned to the election participating political parties as many times as the election quota is included in the number of votes that the political party received. Based on these calculations every participating political party is assigned a number of seats in Parliament in proportion to the number of votes cast for that particular political party. “In other words, a party that wins 10% of votes in the election will also hold 10% of seats.” (Election Ordinance, Explanatory Memorandum, Article 47: Election of Members of Parliament)

Permitting Members of Parliament to declare themselves as “Independent Members of Parliament”, does not appear to have any basis in the Constitution, and allowing them to maintain seats in Parliament does great danger to the constitutionally mandated proportional representation of Parliament. Not only would these seats most likely be occupied by persons who have not received votes equal to or more than the election quota but would be a serious breach of the statutory order allowing for only registered political parties to participate in the election to fill Parliamentary seats.

The rules are clear, our election system is “a system of lists (political parties), not a system of persons (candidates). Candidates are nominated (to fill Parliamentary seats) via the lists that are drawn up by the political parties taking part in an election.” (Election Ordinance, Explanatory Memorandum, Section 2 paragraph 1)

Equally important, the composition and assignment of seats in Parliament are enacted by ministerial regulation on the notification of the Central Voting Bureau. Contradictory, there appears to be no ministerial regulation enacting the present observed change in the composition and assignment of seats in Parliament. The process adopted now simply seems for Members of Parliament to declare themselves as Independent Member of Parliament on the floor of Parliament and thereafter officially notifying Parliament and the Central Voting Bureau of this decision. Such an act is clearly inconsistent with the Constitution and the Election Ordinance.

The Central Voting Bureau needs to provide some explanation and justification for these apparent constitutional inconsistencies. Knowing that it was established by Government as an independent body “to ensure the application of proportional representation as mandated by the Constitution” and to further “execute the voting and election procedures as stipulated and regulated in the Election Ordinance, the Central Voting Bureau has a responsibility here.

The Bureau is to stipulate the legal basis upon which Members of Parliament can declare themselves as Independent Members and maintain a seat in Parliament, a practice that is evidently inconsistent with the principles of proportional representation. Likewise, specify which statutory order or regulation, explicitly or implicitly, affords Parliament the authority to accept the notion of Members of Parliament declaring themselves as an Independent Member effectively ascending them as a new political party faction in Parliament.

In addressing this election system of proportional representation danger, electoral reform is needed now more than ever.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The territory is building its capacity to control mosquitos and other pests with help from the Caribbean Public Health Agency, government announced Friday.

Recently, two CARPHA officials visited the Virgin Islands to monitor and evaluate the implementation of its “integrated vector-management activities,” according to Government Information Services.

Dr. Horace Cox, head of the regional organisation’s Vector-Borne Disease Unit, explained that vector-borne diseases are a heightened threat here because the Caribbean is vulnerable to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

“The reality is if we were to have an outburst of the mosquito population it can prove to be problematic,” Dr. Cox said. “It can affect tourists; it can deter them from coming. It can affect the economy, and also — and most importantly — it can affect the health of the population. So when we consider these things, it is important to have a robust programme that can respond to this ongoing threat.”

He added that the territory’s Environmental Health Department must aim to deliver a programme that is sufficiently robust to respond to the evolving changes of vector-borne diseases.

Building capacity

Meanwhile, CARPHA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Maria Garcia Joseph said CARPHA has been working with the VI to build capacity by providing training, procuring equipment, and sharing science, resources and best-practice methodologies.

She added that monitoring and evaluation are very important to vector control.

“CARPHA has been working with BVI since 2018 and have been rolling out some interventions, and we are at a point where we want to know if the interventions are working,” Ms. Joseph said, adding, “We want to know what has been happening in the field. We want to collect information to find out what has been working, what areas needs strengthening, and what additional support we can bring to the programme to enhance it.”

Henrietta Alexander, the VI’s deputy chief environmental health officer, thanked CARPHA for the assistance.

“We do need the support of external agencies, and they have been such a tremendous help in building our capacity and making sure that what we are doing is effective and making a difference,” Ms. Alexander said.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Reports that up to 100 staff at King Charles III’s former residence could lose their jobs have drawn criticism of the British monarchy, within days of his accession to the throne.

The Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday that dozens of staff at Clarence House, Charles’ former official residence, were given notice that their jobs were on the line. The report said the notices came in the midst of a busy period of transition as Charles and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, move to Buckingham Palace after Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday, September 8.

The Public and Commercial Services Union called the royals’ decision to inform staff of job cuts during a period of mourning “nothing short of heartless”.

“While some changes across the households were to be expected, as roles across the royal family change, the scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme,” the union’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said.

Britain is in a national period of mourning until Monday when the queen’s state funeral will be held.

In a statement, Clarence House said that following Charles’ accession, operations of his and Camilla’s household “have ceased” and “as required by law, a consultation process has begun”.

“Our staff have given long and loyal service and, while some redundancies will be unavoidable, we are working urgently to identify alternative roles for the greatest possible number of staff,” the statement added.

The Guardian said one unnamed member of Charles’ staff told the newspaper that “everyone is absolutely livid … people were visibly shaken by it”.

The criticism added to negative press for the 73-year-old monarch after two videos showing him visibly irritated by a leaky pen and a penholder went viral on social media in recent days.

In one video, Charles was seen losing his temper at a leaking pen while he was signing a visitors’ book in front of cameras in Northern Ireland, where he was visiting Tuesday on the latest leg of his royal tour of the UK’s four nations.

Charles was heard exclaiming, “Oh god, I hate this!” and muttering “I can’t bear this bloody thing … every stinking time.”

The video came after another pen-related incident on Saturday when the new monarch was seen gesturing in irritation at his staff when a pen holder got in his way as he signed a document during his accession ceremony.

Charles has been under intense media scrutiny and had a gruelling schedule since his mother’s death in Scotland on Thursday. He and Camilla flew from Scotland to London for his accession ceremony and a visit to Parliament to address legislators, before flying back to Scotland where he walked behind the queen’s coffin.

He then jetted to Northern Ireland on Tuesday and returned to London the same night, in time for the procession of the queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday.

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SYLVIA HUI Associated Press

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Black Immigrant Daily News

News

(centre) Minister of Sports and Community Developmen Shamfa Cudjoe and Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh unveil the plaque during the opening of the Maitagual Community Centre, Bushe Street in San Juan. -Photo by Roger Jacob

THE COMMUNITY of Maitagual in Petit Bourg, San Juan now has a $12 million community centre.

The Ministry of Sport and Community Development officially opened the facility at Bushe Street North on Wednesday morning, and line minister Shamfa Cudjoe urged residents to use it wisely.

The two-storey building features an internet cafe/computer lab, audio-visual room, gym, teaching kitchen, administrative office, auditorium, lobby and bathrooms.

(centre) Minister of Sports and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe and Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh – Photo by Roger Jacob

Cudjoe said the community is “rich in history,” adding that “community centres are the heart and soul of the community as they play a significant role in bringing people together and developing the lives of residents.

She said the “state of the art facility” is a place to share ideas and work towards community and national development.

“This is a place to be celebrated; to invest in,” she said.

“Share your ideas, hear the ideas of others, learn about others cultures and backgrounds of others and and teach them yours too.”

St Joseph MP and Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh recalled that when he was a child, community centres often were “Four walls, a concrete floor and a galvanise roof.

“Compare that to what you have here today – two stories of air-conditioned excellence with state of the art qualities, computer lab, gym and so on. This is how TT has evolved and developed over the years.”

Maitagual Community Centre, on Bushe Street, San Juan. – Photo by Roger Jacob

He thanked Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly as during her tenure as Minister of Community Development, “She would have brought the note to Cabinet to get this project going.”

He also thanked Cudjoe for completing the project and hailed Maitagual resident Yvonne Alexander as the centre was also “her dream.”

When he was first elected as St Joseph MP, he said he saw “some pillars and a column” and asked what it was. Residents told him it was the start of a community centre “since back in the 90s under the NAR (National Alliance for Reconstruction).

Looking at the school children in the audience, he said, “This (community centre) is for them.

“Now what is required is for the communities to use this community centre to make sure that those school children fulfil the words of the father of this nation (Dr Eric Williams) as we celebrate 60 years of independence. The future of the nation is in their book bags, and the future of this community is in this community centre.”

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