September 2, 2013 MEDIA RELEASE Why the introduction of proportional representation for local government elections? The CRF views with great concern the announcement made by the Prime Minister that government will be bringing a bill to Parliament to amend the Municipal Corporations Act in order to introduce a system of proportional representation for the appointment of aldermen. While the Prime Minister is claiming that this amendment does not require a special majority for passage, the fact is that the government is bypassing the Constitution to introduce a major change in the electoral system of the country. Over the years, including the recent consultations on constitution reform, the CRF has emphasized the need for change to our current electoral processes and has outlined its own proposals for a mixed system that combines the first-past-the-post system and proportional representation. In principle therefore, the CRF shares the outlook of the government that there is need to adjust the approach to the way we vote in this country. Nonetheless, we are disappointed that the government chose to introduce this measure in this manner and at this time, for the following three reasons. 1. First, the CRF feels strongly that the change is essentially a constitutional one and not one that should be effected through a simple majority in the House. While the government may justify its decision on the grounds that the Municipal Corporations Act does not fall within the ambit of the constitution, the fact is that it is initiating a process to change the country’s electoral system, the management of which is the responsibility of the constitutionally-defined Elections and Boundaries Commission. The government is therefore setting a dangerous precedent by seeking to introduce a new form of voting using procedures that disregard established parliamentary requirements for making constitutional amendments. 2. Secondly, the announcement comes at a time when the government, through the Ministry of Legal Affairs, has recently completed a series of consultations to facilitate the participation of the citizenry in the process of constitution reform. Those of us who participated in that exercise are now eagerly awaiting the announcement of the next step as this process moves forward. It therefore comes as a major surprise that the Minister, who is also Chair of the Commission responsible for the consultative exercise, would take steps at the level of Cabinet that run the risk of undermining commitments made at the consultations. 3. Thirdly, the CRF wonders whether this highly unexpected move may have been driven more by political expediency rather than by a genuine intention to ensure that our institutions are truly representative. We note the very strong acclaim that the Prime Minister’s announcement received from spokespersons of the two minority parties of the People’s Partnership coalition. We also note that these two parties are currently seeing their fortunes dwindle on the national political landscape. There is definitely need for utmost vigilance to ensure that instruments intended to contribute to the strengthening of our democracy are not co-opted to serve partisan interests. The CRF strongly urges the government to reconsider its decision to table this bill. Should it proceed with this action, we are calling on all Parliamentarians to withhold their support in the interest of good governance of our country. Submitted by Olabisi Kuboni Chair, CRF olabisi.kuboni@gmail
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 02:13:50 +0000
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