The Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has been at the receiving end of yet another legal loss, with the Supreme Court ruling today in favour of 13 more non-nationals seeking to vote here.
Following a six-hour emergency hearing convened this morning before Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson in Court No. 6 of the Supreme Court, it was decided that the EBC would add 13 of the 14 litigants who brought the latest lawsuit to the final electoral list due out today. Additionally, the court ruled that three persons who were not on the original list of claimants must be added to the voting list before the midnight deadline.
The issue of the voting rights of Commonwealth citizens resident here rose to prominence after four Commonwealth Caribbean nationals, including St Lucian professor Eddy Ventose, sued the EBC for refusing to add them to the list for the May 24 general election, despite fulfiling the requirements of Sections 7 and 11 of the Representation of the People Act.
The matter made it all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which on Sunday ruled as illegal, the policy of the electoral management body that only citizens, and permanent residents can vote. Ventose, and five other claimants associated with that matter were registered on Monday.
However, today, the 14 litigants, who were represented by attorney-at-law Michelle Russell, contended that they also had been omitted from the list, even though they met the criteria and completed the requisite form in the stipulated time period
However, in her affidavit, Chief Electoral Officer Angela Taylor explained that her office had not denied the applications of Tara Frater, Keisha Hyde-Porchetta, Dr Yvonne Weekes, Anil Persaud, Janet Monique Caroo, John Redfern, Maria Bullen, Sean Bullen, Michael Thomas, Michelle Reid, Patrica Alfonso-Dass, Richard Boddy and Wendy Claudine Grenade.
The Chief Electoral Officer claimed that she had submitted a list of names to the Chief Immigration Officer on March 8, 2018 and despite two subsequent follow-ups, it was only two days ago that she received a list of 122 non-nationals who satisfied the residency requirement. She further revealed that while she gave instructions that all persons on the list verified by the immigration department would be eligible vote in the upcoming election, only five of the litigants had been verified.
At this point Sir Marston took an hour-long recess and dispatched marshals to summon the Chief Immigration Officer to have the status of the other nine litigants cleared up. When the hearing resumed at 4:30 p.m. Assistant Chief Immigration Officer Elaine McDonald turned up and clarified the status of the remaining nine claimants, as well as an additional three persons whose claims were ventilated at the last minute.
Speaking to the media after the ruling, attorney for the EBC Larry Smith, QC, argued that contrary to misconceptions in some quarters, there was never an attempt by the Chief Electoral Officer to disenfranchise eligible voters, rather it was an issue of the duration of the verification process.
“I think that it has been unfortunate that in some quarters some have thought that there has been some attempt to leave people off of the list. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the cooperation of the department today, it is clear that it has always been the intention that eligible [people] who could be verified [should be registered]. There is process to go through to ensure that a person is qualified and it has been shown here that the Chief Electoral Officer has made repeated attempts to get the information,” Smith said.
However, Russell contended that if Taylor had been forthcoming with the information to her clients the matter might not have ended up in court today.
“Prior to this action information was not forthcoming. We had written to the Chief Electoral Officer and several of the claimants had written to her personally and she didn’t respond. So it is unfortunate that it has come to this was dealt with amicably so that the same purpose could have been served,” Russell said.
From the very outset the EBC rather than seeking to add persons who qualified to the list; it has been seeking to find reason to deny people their rights. Therefore all blame and all rebuke must be accepted by the department and its leader. They have engaged in a systematic wasting of taxpayers time and money.
Lord, grant us ” understanding”: when you are paid to do a job, you have to do the wuk…and do it well, and without fear or favour, and with despatch, efficiency and expedititiously. Or there shall be consequences.
Yes, Lord, I guess that’s where “Pride and Industry” all started…and sometimes..also ends in ignominious fanfare, with stuff hitting the fan.Things need to change.
PS: to my Grenadian friend Sean ….CONGRATS!
More than 122 people applied of that I am 100% sure. And now we’re supposed to believe they’re doing the right thing? But only verified 5 people? They continueto play fast and loose with people’s rights and with this election.
Angela Taylor and Brian Barrow should be fired. How can the public have confidence in her management of the EBC now? And Barrow publicly misled the people about what was happening.
Some people lack wisdom and understanding ib the worst way.
Just another example of lethargy in the Public service.Is this in our DNA ?
This Commission seem to be an operative of the DLP just as the Unions in the past were. Angela Taylor was playing for time so that the applicants would automatically not be able to vote. She should be fired before the election date.
Y’all unfair, how do you blatantly ignore the part where the list was sent to the Chief Immigration Officer and was completely vetted? Is this just so you can make your point?
Barbados today’s headline for this is almost mis-leading.
Barbados is losing its sovereignty in my opinion, if it hasn’t already. We need to revisit the stupid law when the Democratic Labour Party forms the new government Friday morning. Barbadians born here; other persons with adjusted status and legal citizens on a whole, should be the only ones allowed to do the all important task of voting in this country’s general elections.So to the writer, the EBC did not suffer a legal loss….Barbados did. This is our country.
This is the.first time I have ever agreed with that yard fowl perched above .Don’t know why those people are so anxious to vote in Bdos’ elections.
Haven’t heard of any Bajan that anxious to vote in other Countries …that anxious as to take the matter to Court.
@Harry Turnover; I would expect such rubbish from Archie but you have now proved that something is definitely wrong with the bajan way of thinking. Why do you think bajans take out their citizenship in other countries so that they could vote and enjoy what ever privileges they are, why Barbados want to be any different, you, Archie and the Angela Taylor have proven that you have not free yourselves of the slave mentality that was indoctrinated in you all. Massa had done the same thing, only different back then.
I hope and pray when the dust has been settled that whoever takes over the leadership of this country that something be done about persons having dual nationality here and could possibly influence the outcome of our election.
My intelligence is limited but I feel no one should be allowed to just have dual nationality easy so; in short three (3 years).
For God’s sake let us take back our country because it would seem persons can just walk in here and have more say than me a born and bred Bajan.
This law needs to be changed. Only citizens should be given the right to vote.
Unfortunately a high percentage of Bajans fail to even vote and many more are wiling to sell their precious right to vote for as little as a bottle of rum. On the other hand obviously these people who have fought in the courts for their right to vote under the laws of Barbados do care about the future of this country. I don’t think they can be faulted for that.