BCC students push for sweeping electoral reforms

By Marlon Madden

Barbados Community College (BCC) students have suggested sweeping changes to the electoral system, including the introduction of a form of proportional representation to replace the first-past-the-post system and a mandatory opposition party.

They also recommended lowering the age for individuals to serve in Parliament and employing greater use of technology in order to better engage the youth in parliamentary activities.

The students shared their views and suggestions as they engaged members of the Parliamentary Reform Commission (PRC) at the Howells Cross Road, St Michael tertiary institution on Monday.

Law and sociology student Jade Haynes said the current first-past-the-post system was not a true representation of democracy, insisting that there was a need for “a mandatory opposition inside Parliament”.

Pointing to data from the May 2018 election, which showed that the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) received over 70 per cent of the total votes, Haynes said that given the fact that the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) received over 20 per cent of the votes and the United Progressive Party (UPP) received over two per cent of the vote, they too should have “proper representation to voice their concerns”.

“I am in no way implying that our current government does not deserve their seats,” Haynes said. “My suggestion is a change in the electoral system. We have been using first-past-the-post since the dawn of our Independence in 1966 and it has proven to be ineffective in satisfying the standard for our democratic society.”

She added: “Therefore, I propose the use of the proportional representation electoral system. Under the proportional representation system, the BLP would still have won the race, but instead of taking all 30 seats in Parliament, they would have got 22 seats. This would leave the DLP with seven seats and the remaining seat would have been given to the UPP. This would have given a voice to the voiceless.”

She also indicated that with the absence of an opposition in Parliament, “we also lack the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, and this can prove detrimental”.

Fellow law and sociology student Yeva Jones called for the age of those allowed to serve in Parliament to be lowered to match the voting age and for greater representation of minority groups in the House of Assembly.

“I believe there is a strong need in Parliament for more representation for the youth,” she argued.

“Letting more youth enter Parliament will ensure a newer outlook on the formation of laws. In addition to this, I believe measures should be put into place to ensure the representation of minorities in Barbados in Parliament. Outside of the youth, this includes the disabled, religious denominations outside of Christianity, the LGBTQ+ community, women, the elderly and the homeless.

“There should be representatives in Parliament who are willing to speak up on the issues that affect these groups of people in order to change our society into one that is as inclusive and representative as possible,” Jones added.

Other students also issued a call for provisions to be made for greater use of technology and online forums in an effort to get greater participation from the youth in parliamentary activities.

Terrence Richards, who is also pursuing an associate degree in Sociology and law, argued that the first-past-the-post system was not a true representation of what voters desired.

“I think that should be changed,” he declared. “I feel like in certain special cases the first-past-the-post system can’t accurately represent us since certain constituencies have more people than others, but they have the same worth under the system of first past the post.”

Asked to share their views on Barbados transitioning to a republic, most of the students said they did not believe it meant much because they had not seen any significant changes.

Tutor Coordinator of the Caribbean Politics and Society course Kamesha Hoyte, who organised the town hall meeting, said it was important to allow the youth to have an input into the critical decisions governing the parliamentary system.

Principal of the BCC Annette Alleyne also welcomed the opportunity for the students to share their ideas and help shape their future, stating, “BCC students are more than capable of making a valuable investment in the future of our democracy.”

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb