#BTSpeakingOut – An early silly season

The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Michael Ray

There are rules and regulations that determine the constituency in which electors cast their votes for the purpose of electing members to the House of Assembly.

The tried and tested principle based on residency has served Barbados well since the day 13th December 1951. It seems as though Mr. Peter Wickham has a problem with what has evolved for the past 70 years, saying “Since then, our population has expanded, our collective intellect sharpened and the nature of our interaction with Government significantly evolved, but we continue to mark an “X” in much the same way”.

In what other way(s) would Mr. Wickham want to see the electorate casting votes?

The more recent Barbados Identity  Management Act (2021) at Section 9 specifically speaks to “Change in information, relevant to registration” and mandates that holders of ID Cards must notify the Chief Registering Officer of any changes to their place of residence within 30 days and imposes a penalty
of $500 for failure to do so.

For anyone to conclude that the significance of this legal requirement might not be immediately obvious, one should only speak for self and not others.

For anyone to assume that such legislation is fundamentally tied to electoral reform and cannot see how it applies to other aspects of human activities is involuntary admitting to being short-sighted.

Barbadians by nature are not of a nomadic nature.

Our ancestry is not known to include tribes from the northern section of the African continent.

There is a lot more permanence to our people’s residence.

Mr. Wickham said further that the requirement in the above-mentioned Act speaks to an issue that is fundamental to electoral reform and a system that assumes people vote where they live, for a representative who can address their localised issues.

Since we are in an age that requires innovative approaches, I challenge Mr. Wickham to say where else should voters cast their votes other than within the constituency they reside?

Should one vote in the constituency where one works, worships?

Should one vote in the constituency where one eats, sleeps and relaxes?

We may be approaching the “silly season”, but it does not have to be as silly as this is.