By Vernon Daley, Staff Reporter
Director of Elections Danville Walker at The Gleaner's Editors' Forum held at the newspaper's North Street, Kingston offices yesterday. - Norman Grindley /Staff Photographer
THE ELECTORAL Office of Jamaica (EOJ), has warned candidates in eight constituencies that it is prepared to have their seats declared void if it detects malpractice in the impending general election.
EOJ boss, Danville Walker, told editors and senior reporters at The Gleaner's Editors' Forum yesterday that the constituencies, which are concentrated in the Corporate Area and St. Catherine, have a history of violence and election fraud which have thwarted the right of voters to cast their ballots freely.
"I wrote a letter (on Tuesday) to the candidates in about eight constituencies and told them they are prime candidates for voiding," Mr. Walker said. "We want them to be on notice that we are fully prepared to void these seats once we see a certain trend taking place that will interfere with the free and fair elections we expect to see."
The trouble seats identified by Mr. Walker are: West Central St. Andrew, held by the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Andrew Holness; South East St. Andrew, held by outgoing MP, Easton Douglas; Eastern St. Andrew, represented by Colin Campbell; Western St. Andrew, represented by O.T. Williams; Central Kingston, formerly held by Ronnie Thwaites; South St. Catherine, where Fitz Jackson is the MP; South West St. Catherine, held by Jennifer Edwards and South Central St. Catherine, represented by Sharon Hay-Webster.
Apart from Mr. Holness all the other MPs are members of the governing People's National Party.
Mr. Walker said he would also consider writing to the candidates for the Central St. Catherine seat, currently held by the JLP's Olivia 'Babsy' Grange. Three weeks ago, heated political tensions in that constituency led to three people being killed and Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair being summoned to calm fears between candidates from the major political parties.
A tough-talking Mr. Walker insisted that candidates play a central role in the way their supporters behave during the elections and suggested that they needed to do more in ensuring a peaceful and fair election.
"I don't buy the view that supporters go out there and create this havoc without direction. You'll never convince me of that," he said. "Whenever this happens candidates have created an environment that condones this behaviour and they in effect support this behaviour. And therefore I have no reluctance in convincing the Constituted Authority that we must run those seats again."
Under the law, the Constituted Authority, made up of the selected members of the Electoral Advisory Committee as well as two appointees of the Governor-General, is charged with the responsibility of voiding and re-running elections.
At the same time, Mr. Walker said that the EOJ will be putting special arrangements in place to ensure a free and fair election in constituencies which he described as having garrison-like tendencies. He said that problematic polling stations in these areas will be manned by specialist EOJ staff.
"We are going to man them ourselves," Mr. Walker said.
The Director of Elections also revealed that the selected members of the EAC have met with candidates running in these garrison constituencies to outline to them what is expected of them during the elections.
