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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=news_byline>Proposed changes to constituency boundaries trigger uneasiness</TD></TR><TR><TD style="HEIGHT: 9px"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=news_summary><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellPadding=0 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=news_imagecaption></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><SPAN class=news_summary>Proposed changes to some constituency boundaries continue to trigger disquiet among some Members of Parliament. </SPAN>
<SPAN class=news_body>A decision has been made to increase the number of constituencies from 60 to 63 to prevent a <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative">tie</SPAN> in national elections.
One such Parliamentarian who has been vocal in her expressions of concern is the Member of Parliament for South Central St. Catherine, Sharon Hay Webster.
Over the past four years, concerns have surfaced about the likelihood of a dead heat in an electoral contest.
This was precipitated by the tie in Trinidad and Tobago in 2001 and the unusually close results in the 2002 General Election when the PNP won 34 seats to the JLP's 26.
But while MP's like Mrs. Hay Webster understand the need to change the seat count to an odd instead of an even number, they are uneasy about the way its being done.
These misgivings have served to ensure that this will not be done in time for the upcoming General Election.
Mrs. Hay Webster argues that the consultative process involving the Electoral Commission of <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative">Jamaica</SPAN> (ECJ) the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) and Parliamentarians is inadequate.
She is of the view that with the best will in the world, electoral planners are unable to grasp the dynamics of constituency representation.
Mrs. Hay Webster is dismissive of suggestions that her concerns are based on fears that the boundary changes are likely to affect her fortunes in the traditionally strong PNP seat.
With the exception of the five year electoral tenure between1983 to 1989, South Central St. Catherine has always been under the stranglehold of the PNP.
When Heather Robinson quit the seat in the mid 1990s, in strong resistance to so-called dons in the constituency, South Central St. Catherine was left without an MP for a year and a half, but the PNP retained it in the 1997 <A class=kLink oncontextmenu="return false;" id=KonaLink2 onmouseover=adlinkMouseOver(event,this,2); style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" onclick=adlinkMouseClick(event,this,2); onmouseout=adlinkMouseOut(event,this,2); href="http://www.radiojamaica.com/news/story.php?category=2&story=33478#" target=_top><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE
<SPAN class=news_body>A decision has been made to increase the number of constituencies from 60 to 63 to prevent a <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative">tie</SPAN> in national elections.
One such Parliamentarian who has been vocal in her expressions of concern is the Member of Parliament for South Central St. Catherine, Sharon Hay Webster.
Over the past four years, concerns have surfaced about the likelihood of a dead heat in an electoral contest.
This was precipitated by the tie in Trinidad and Tobago in 2001 and the unusually close results in the 2002 General Election when the PNP won 34 seats to the JLP's 26.
But while MP's like Mrs. Hay Webster understand the need to change the seat count to an odd instead of an even number, they are uneasy about the way its being done.
These misgivings have served to ensure that this will not be done in time for the upcoming General Election.
Mrs. Hay Webster argues that the consultative process involving the Electoral Commission of <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative">Jamaica</SPAN> (ECJ) the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) and Parliamentarians is inadequate.
She is of the view that with the best will in the world, electoral planners are unable to grasp the dynamics of constituency representation.
Mrs. Hay Webster is dismissive of suggestions that her concerns are based on fears that the boundary changes are likely to affect her fortunes in the traditionally strong PNP seat.
With the exception of the five year electoral tenure between1983 to 1989, South Central St. Catherine has always been under the stranglehold of the PNP.
When Heather Robinson quit the seat in the mid 1990s, in strong resistance to so-called dons in the constituency, South Central St. Catherine was left without an MP for a year and a half, but the PNP retained it in the 1997 <A class=kLink oncontextmenu="return false;" id=KonaLink2 onmouseover=adlinkMouseOver(event,this,2); style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" onclick=adlinkMouseClick(event,this,2); onmouseout=adlinkMouseOut(event,this,2); href="http://www.radiojamaica.com/news/story.php?category=2&story=33478#" target=_top><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE
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