EOJ to cut seats

By Balford Henry, Senior Reporter

Phillips

AT LEAST four constituencies are due to be cut prior to the next General Election because they exceed the maximum limit of 30,000 electors.

Those to be targeted are South St. Catherine, North East St. Ann, South West St. Catherine and North West St. James. The governing People's National Party (PNP) holds three of the seats while one, North East St. Ann, is represented by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) will either recommend that certain districts be cut and added to constituencies in the same parish, or the creation of additional constituencies. However, cutting the constituencies is the more likely route, according to an EOJ spokesman.

If the EOJ considers increasing the number of constituencies in any of the parishes, then it would have to look at reducing the number in other parishes where constituencies are below the 16,000 minimum level, in order to stay within the 60 seats required under the Constitution.

One parish that would have to be considered is Kingston, where only one constituency - East Kingston and Port Royal ­ is above the minimum. The other two constituencies -- Western Kingston and Central Kingston ­ are below the minimum 16,000 electors which could result in a merger. West Kingston is represented by Opposition Leader Edward Seaga and Ronnie Thwaites represents the PNP in Central Kingston. However, the merging of these two constituencies is quite unlikely, the EOJ source said.

Last count, West Kingston was just about 15,000 electors, while Central Kingston was just above. It is also likely that voter registration in both constituencies might have increased their total above the minimum, following last year's intense continuous registration efforts.

The EOJ is expected to go ahead and make proposals about where and how the constituencies should be cut. The proposals would then be sent to the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC), at which stage the major political parties will make their input through their representatives. Normally, the position taken by the EOJ is supported by, at least, the three independent members of the EAC. But, whatever is proposed by the EAC will have to be approved by Parliament.

"This, of course, could be a very contentious issue," says Minister in charge of electoral matters, Dr. Peter Phillips.

Dr. Phillips told Parliament last Tuesday that it has been suggested by the EOJ that Geographical Information System (GIS) equipment be used to help decide the issue of the boundaries ­ an objective exercise based on demographic and population statistics.

He said that the EAC was seeking to provide the EOJ with the necessary GIS technology to address the boundaries issue and to assist with the correct placement of electors on the voters list.

The EOJ has also confirmed that the latest preliminary voters list has been issued to the political parties with the results from all Returning Officers incorporated. The parties are to study the list over the next two weeks and respond to the EOJ, after which the list will be made public.

Dr. Phillips said that it is the goal of the EAC and the EOJ that the list to be used in the next General Election will carry the photographs of the electors.

"Preliminary tests have been done to accomplish this and the EOJ fully expects to be able to achieve this for the next General Election, whenever it is called," Dr. Phillips said.

South St. Catherine has been an issue for the EOJ for sometime now. The JLP and the PNP has agreed for several years now that the constituency, which includes expanding housing settlements like Greater Portmore and Braeton, had become "unmanageable." Prior to the 1997 General Election, the constituency had a total of 56,000 electors, nearly twice the maximum, a figure which is expected to be greatly increased by continuous registration.

The number of constituencies were last increased, to 60, by the Constitution (Boundaries) Order 1976 issued by the Governor General under Section 67 of the Constitution, which increased the number from 53 to 60.

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