First, President Michel and Assembly Speaker Macgregor. Mr Michel decides to dissolve the Assembly. The constitution requires him to give seven days notice to the Assembly, evidently its Speaker – who is the titular head of the legislature. The Speaker keeps the information to himself and summons all the members of the Assembly to a sitting to hear President’s message on the state of the nation, as well as providing an agenda for the follow up sitting. Everyone attended including the opposition members who had previously been boycotting proceedings.
After a long rambling speech on the achievements of his government, Mr Michel announced he was dissolving the Assembly the next day and that he had given notice to the speaker. The Assembly rose and then adjourned and left to die. Macgregor defends his decision not to inform the members of the assembly and the public in general of the notice that had been given to him by the President, by interpreting the letter of the Constitution. In effect he was intimating that he was the National Assembly rather than just the titular head of the representative body of all the people of
Next comes Mr Hendricks Gappy, Electoral Commissioner. He is charged under the constitution with organising elections. He called a meeting of all political parties to announce to them that he would be setting the dates for the election 50 days from the date of dissolution. The opposition asked for a week more. He said he would go home and consider it. Then came back and said no – blaming the printers in Singapore which he has appointed to print the ballot papers.
Within minutes of announcing the formal dates for the election, SNP submitted an application to organise a rally on Freedom Square on 6th May – the last day of the campaign. Gappy responded that the SPPF had already booked the field for that date. Strange things can happen in politics.
In another meeting with political parties Gappy let on to the State broadcasting media that he had some independent persons who had collected nomination papers. That night SBC went on the air and claimed there will be independent candidates as a matter of fact, even though the date for nomination had not yet arrived. Gappy remained silent while SBC sowed confusion.
For the past few weeks SBC has been running commercials submitted by the electoral commissioner informing the public how to vote and how to behave in general. Mr Gappy’s office issued special warning about campaigning during the cooling off period and even wanted newspapers not to publish. Yet, Gappy conveniently ignored one of the most important requirements of the Elections Act which concerns vote buying and the penalty to be paid if found guilty.
The Elections Act is very elaborate in its consideration of what constitutes vote buying. A promise of a house or any government benefit either before or after an election is considered to be vote buying. Does this mean that those who will occupy one of the houses in the next few months from the numerous government housing schemes, would be deemed to be breaking the Elections Act?
Where did the masonite ordered by the Anse Boileau District Administration end up? Wherever it would be it is vote buying and there is a penalty for this crime. A person who is found guilty of an illegal practice (i.e. vote buying) will be disqualified from registering as a voter for 5 years. If he has been elected he would lose his seat!