IPS-English POLITICS-CARIBBEAN: PMs Fight for Survival
 
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 15:45:22 -0700

 
Peter Ischyrion

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, May 23  (IPS)  - Stephenson King and Bruce Golding
waited years, even decades, to become prime ministers of their respective
countries. Now both face the possibility of fresh general elections
just months into their terms, although for different reasons.

King, the prime minister of St. Lucia, is facing a rebellion within
his own party, while Golding is awaiting the outcome of court challenges
over the dual citizenship held by members of his government.

King became prime minister last September following the death of
84-year-old Sir John Compton, who in 2006 had returned from a 15-year
self-imposed exile from politics to lead his United Workers Party
(UWP) back into the corridors of power.

Now King's political future and that of his government hinges on
the outcome of talks involving noted Caribbean jurist Sir Richard
Cheltenham, the latest person drafted by the ruling party to save
the day.

The crisis began when two of King's parliamentarians switched their
party identification to ”independents”, eroding the ruling party's
majority in Parliament to a single seat.

The defection by dismissed foreign affairs minister Rufus Bousquet
and Marcus Nicholas, the deputy speaker of Parliament, led to a further
fracturing of King's government, with calls by other disgruntled members,
including Housing Minister Richard Frederick, to dismiss the Economic
and Planning Minister Ausbert D'Auvergne, who they claim wields too
much power as a non-elected parliamentarian.

The prime minister argues that Bousquet is nursing a grudge over
his dismissal, which King says occurred because the foreign minister
had deliberately ignored a directive from then Prime Minister Compton
not to sign documents paving the way for diplomatic relations with
Taiwan instead of China last year.

For his part, Bousquet, who earlier this month refused to support
the national budget presented by King to the Parliament, says King
has ”lost the moral authority” to govern.

”Whether or not I am returned to Cabinet is secondary...the matter
of Ausbert D'Auvergne takes precedence,” Bousquet said.

Constitutional lawyer Martinus Francois believes the issue should
be resolved by fresh elections -- not surprisingly, a remedy also
embraced by the main opposition St. Lucia Labour Party.

”We have given the government a lot of time and a lot of space to
resolve their issues, so too have the people of St. Lucia. They have
been patient, they have been understanding and reflective, but all
they have gotten in return is shame, disappointment and frustration,”
asserted former prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony.

His advice for King: ”Dissolve parliament and allow the people of
St. Lucia to determine their future, as the country cannot be allowed
to continue bleeding.”

King may not take that advice, but his Jamaican counterpart, Golding,
has already indicated that he would call fresh general elections if
the opposition succeeds in its bid to replace disqualified MPs from
the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) with its own candidates in some
contested constituencies.

Under the Jamaican constitution, a person cannot serve in the legislature
if he or she is ”by virtue of his own act under any acknowledgement
of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state”.

Following his party's narrow 32-28 parliamentary victory last September,
Golding has had to watch the main opposition People's National Party
(PNP) use the courts to successfully challenge the dual citizenship
held by several JLP parliamentarians. 

The situation has led to the resignation of the independent Director
of Elections, Danville Walker, who in a three-page statement said
he had few options following a judgment ousting JLP candidate Daryl
Vaz, who, in addition to his Jamaican citizenship, also held U.S.
citizenship. 

Walker said the court matter had ”determined that a person simply
holding a United States of America passport... would be an acknowledgement
of allegiance and as the USA is considered a foreign power, my holding
that country's passport would cause me to be disqualified from holding
the post of the Director of Elections.”

Constitutional lawyer Bert Samuels has suggested that both parties
should instead consider holding by-elections in the constituencies
where the courts have ruled against persons holding dual citizenship
in contravention of the Jamaican constitution.

”Let everyone come forward and declare; let it not be a discovery
process in the courts. In the seats where there are MPs who have dual
citizenship, and this goes for both the PNP and JLP, there should
be negotiations to hold by-elections in all those constituencies,”
Samuels said, adding, ”We can't take another silly season.”

But two other analysts believe that a nationwide snap poll is imminent.

”It seems as if we are heading for an election because the government's
majority is in jeopardy at the moment. And it concerns me because
I have campaigned in the past to have that clause removed from the
constitution, because any clause that's going to throw the country
into confusion needs to be reconsidered,” said Ken Jones, a columnist
and secretary of the Farquharson Institute of Public Affairs.

”So at the moment, it seems we are definitely headed for an election,
and as far as I can see, it's only a matter of when it will be called,”
he said.

Lloyd B. Smith, a political analyst with the Jamaica Gleaner, agrees.
”It is unfortunate that the country will be forced to go back to the
polls after we had an election just last September,” he said. ”But
that's the only way the issue should be solved.”



*****
+ RIGHTS-JAMAICA: Spat Escalates Over Anti-Gay Lyrics (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42306)
+ CARIBBEAN: Regional Security Takes Centre-Stage (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41891)


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