Dawn Ritch, Columnist

Danville Walker, Direc-tor of Elections, is a sancti-monious time-server. Two unaccounted for ballot boxes have turned up, according to another newspaper, in the vault of the offices of the Electoral office of Jamaica (EOJ).

These boxes concern the seat contested by Harry 'Pip Pip' Douglas and Tarn Peralto, People's National Party and Jamaica Labour Party representatives, respectively. The boxes are said to contain the votes of election-day workers and members of the security forces.

Tarn Peralto, declared winner by the EOJ, was on radio after they had been discovered saying he wanted the boxes voided.

Had these boxes fetched up in a PNP constituency office, or even at any police station, I could understand Peralto's alarm. But they were in the electoral offices of Danville Walker. According to the media, he is the man with Jamaica's most impeccable reputation.

Peralto ought to feel free, therefore, to leave himself in his hands. But he patently does not. This might be described in some quarters as a great shame, but not in mine.

Excuses fly in mellifluoustones from Danville Walker's lips with a remarkable incontinence. I daresay even his unconstitutional demands and electoral instructions flow the same way. Nevertheless, he is regarded as the virtual embodiment of integrity and due process in the country. Now, two ballot boxes have been found in the EOJ offices.

egg on its face

It does not inspire confidence to see constituency wins switching back and forth between political parties on public television on the night of election. The Electoral Office, having demanded a date of September 3 for the general election because it was the only one which suited them, had its dreams fulfilled, only to get egg on its face.

The polling stations weren't ready in the morning. Danville Walker said on air it was because he was expecting a rush in the afternoon, and this, when the whole island had been told to expect heavy rain that afternoon.

There are also reports of some losing candidates whose lists, given them on nomination day, did not match the electoral list used by presiding officers at polling stations. There is only supposed to be one list, that given out to the candidates by the returning officers at nomination. I can't imagine why any candidate would want to have a different list, but that is what happened on election day. This is most disconcerting.

In my column the day before the general election, I noted that in the first place, it was not the prerogative of the EOJ to set the date of election. Danville Walter had behaved in a manner both arrogant and careless. Any mess-up on election day, I said, was, therefore, his responsibility. The way things went in terms of his conduct of this election, Walker is going to need his lawyers. Certainly, it would be well worth his while to make sure that no other uncounted ballot boxes pop up in his immediate vicinity.

In my view, he quite abused his authority when he instructed that ballot boxes be brought into Kingston, instead of being counted at the place in the constituency which was specified in the writ of election. This is especially so since there was seemingly no violence, disturbance or reason other than Walker's whim and fancy to do so.

All this is even more questionable when ballot boxes apparently disappeared from among those to be counted, only to reappear after Tarn Peralto was declared elected. A resident magistrate has since refused to count them. Indeed, the EOJ had to seek advice on whether or not they can, or should be counted.

escape routes

Walker's mouth, if not his actions, is likely to get him in even more trouble. On the RJR news last Tuesday, he said that even if the boxes were counted, it would not affect the final outcome. Since they're supposed to have been sealed by the presiding officer, how does he know that? As I said two weeks ago, 'If it goes awry, blame Danville'.

The new Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, is very much a fellow traveller. Same mellifluous tones, same verbosity on any occasion, and a facility with qualifying what ought to be clear positions of principle that beggars all description.

The qualification that takes the cake though, is Golding's pledge to the country at his swearing-in. He said he would "do what, in my best judgement, is right for Jamaica".

Now, why should doing what is right for Jamaica be qualified by anything at all, including his best judgement? Indeed, his habit has been to say one thing and do another, which calls into question his judgement. Danville Walker took the same approach, and look what happened. It's as though these people always set up their escape routes before a single shot is fired.

In Golding's case, his earlier statement about consultations and "constructive engagement" suggest that he might be happier in a coalition government. A coalition government is one where he would have no responsibility, let alone the opportunity to exercise any judgement, much less his best. Perhaps this is such a government, however, in which Mr. Golding thinks his own particular talents might shine.

Certainly, he has displayed a marked ability torun away in anybody's clothes. With the exception of the Jamaica Folk Singers, every musical selection at his swearing-in was a religious song. The master of ceremonies said Golding had chosen them personally. Not even Portia Simpson Miller deluged us with so much religion at her own swearing-in.

I also note that he said there would be a national Hurricane Dean clean-up day. Golding invited members of the public, including civic and community-based organisations to join in the move to clean up communities islandwide. These are Simpson Miller's clothes as well. When faith-based groups announced that they were going to clean the sidewalks and gullies in preparation for a hurricane, Simpson Miller was accused by media of using religion to the detriment of the country. On this occasion, there's likely to be no such outcry. Yet, Golding is more than happy to run away in her skirt.

I certainly hope she agrees to no consultations, much less a coalition government. Golding won by a slim majority and should be made to deal with fulfilling his wild promises on his own. That's accountability, and neither he nor Danville Walker should be permitted to duck their responsibilities nor evade the consequences.