Free National Movement Chairman Desmond Bannister is calling for the formation of the Boundaries Commission, and demanding to know when Prime Minister Perry Christie will “carry out his constitutional duty” and put the commission in place.
Mr. Bannister pointed out that elections are likely less than a year away, and the country does not yet know what and how many constituencies there will be in the general elections anticipated for 2007.
“The prime minister has not even [appointed] the Boundaries Commission yetﾅwe have no idea how many constituencies we are going to have [and this is] one year out from elections,” Mr. Bannister said.
“It is pointless for (the FNM) to even start naming candidates because we cannot even name the member to the Boundaries Commission because the prime minister has not appointed his members yet or appointed the commission.”
Meanwhile, the FNMﾒs leader in the Senate, Tommy Turnquest, has speculated that the commission would be named shortly after the conclusion of debate on the governmentﾒs 2006/2007 budget, and possibly by July, Mr. Turnquest said.
The governmentﾒs leader in the House of Assembly, Vincent Peet, who is also Financial Services and Investments minister, could not say on Tuesday when the commission would be formed, although he also anticipated that it might be soon.
“Thatﾒs the prime ministerﾒs call. The prime minister will make that call, and I suspect he will make that call pretty quickly, but itﾒs really in his discretion, and itﾒs really his call,” Mr. Peet said.
The Boundaries Commission, which will include the Speaker of the House, a Supreme Court Justice, two members of the governing party and one from the opposition, ensures there is equity in the number of voters among all constituencies, taking into consideration geographical considerations.
Mr. Bannister told the Journal that once the commission is finished with its report, the FNM would then be free to start naming candidates.
“But right now, we donﾒt know how many constituencies we are going to have,” he said.
“When is (Prime Minister Christie) going to carry out his constitutional duty of putting the Boundaries Commission in place so the Bahamian people can have an idea of how many constituencies we are going to have in the next elections?” Mr. Bannister asked.
Mr. Bannister was addressing the perception that the Free National Movement is in a state of disunity, and that this might be the reason the party has not yet officially named its candidates for the next election.
“We are extremely unified,” he insisted.
Mr. Bannister also addressed the question of dissention in the ranks of the FNM as a result of likelihood that some of the 40 or so CDR members who joined the party on Sunday are likely to offer themselves as FNM candidates.
“Persons have no vested rights based on longevity of membership,” he said. “The duty of a political party is to find the best persons you can find who can make a contribution to the country.”
By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal
