A month after Prime Minister Perry Christie announced in the House of Assembly that he planned to immediately advise the governor general to appoint a boundaries commission, the commission has not yet started its work.
In fact, the government has not yet announced who its two members will be on that commission, which will examine existing constituencies to determine whether they should remain or be altered.
Asked on Tuesday whether he had appointed the commission as yet, Governor General Arthur Hanna told The Bahama Journal that that was a question for the government to answer.
Government insiders, meanwhile, told The Bahama Journal that the prime minister plans to appoint Works and Utilities Minister Bradley Roberts to the commission, and possibly MP Philip “Brave” Davis.
Shortly after the prime ministerﾒs declaration in the House of Assembly last month, leader of the Official Opposition Hubert Ingraham revealed that his choice for opposition representative was Brent Symonette, the Montagu MP who is the deputy leader of the Free National Movement.
“Numerous persons in The Bahamas are concerned about how any potential changes in the boundaries will affect them as voters, as potential candidates, and also as political advocates in the forthcoming elections,” Mr. Symonette told The Bahama Journal on Tuesday.
“I would have thought that to avoid the numerous rumors, and articles appearing in the press it would be advisable for Mr. Christie to ensure the early appointment of his members and also the meeting of the boundaries commission as an election must be held in less than a year.”
In addition to two government members and one opposition member, the boundaries commission will have as a member the speaker of the House of Assembly, who will be the chairman, and a justice of the Supreme Court, who will be the deputy chairman.
Mr. Symonette said itﾒs important for the commission to get to work.
He added, “The FNMﾒs position will be so long as constituencies are fairly similar in voter numbers, the boundary cuts will not be as relevant because itﾒs a question of making sure there are adequate persons, certainly in New Providence, in each constituency.”
There are presently 40 constituencies, and with various population shifts, some changes are expected.
Mr. Symonette questioned whether the prime minister was allowing “a state of flux” to exist for his “political motives” and whether he has plans to call a snap election.
In June, FNM Chairman Desmond Bannister indicated that the failure of the prime minister to appoint a boundaries commission was the reason the FNM had not yet started naming its candidates.
At the time, he told The Bahama Journal, “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.
But Prime Minister Christie brushed such statements off as being a sign that the FNM was running scared.
By: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
