The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Renward Wells denied yesterday that he and Marco City MP Michael Pintard have acted to ensure the Constituencies Commission does not release its report until Parliament is dissolved for an election.

Mr Wells and Mr Pintard are the governing party’s representatives on the commission, which is chaired by House Speaker Halson Moultrie.

Speaker Moultrie sent Governor General CA Smith a report on Friday that contained only his signature and that of no one else from the commission.

The other committee members, which include Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper and Supreme Court Justice Deborah Fraser, signed a press statement calling Speaker Moultrie’s act a “clear and flagrant breach of the Constitution”.

In response, Speaker Moultrie claimed that Mr Pintard and Mr Wells would not sign any document unless it had unanimous support from other commission members.

Asked about this before a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mr Wells said: “Out of the heart the mouth speaks. Has anyone heard (what he claimed) from myself or the other member of the government on the commission side? This leader of government business in the House of Assembly has never been about holding up any documents.

“We’ve always followed the requisite procedures to ensure that there is no conversation, no issues coming back after we have proceeded in a constitutional process. At the end of the day those who are appointed to the commission will put forth our views. And it’s interesting that the Speaker chose to identify the government members. There’s an opposition member as well who happens to agree.”

Mr Cooper has not said he believes the governing party representatives wanted to ensure the report was not released prior to the dissolution of Parliament.

“I have no desire to engage in a public debate on the internal discussions of the boundaries commission,” he said yesterday. “I would also point out that no one is authorised to speak on my behalf.”

Asked whether the other commission members will release a report, Mr Wells said “stay tuned”.

In the report signed by Mr Moultrie, it was recommended that the number of New Providence seats be increased to 26, Grand Bahama seats be increased to six and the MICAL constituency be split “to reintroduce the constituencies of Inagua and Mayaguana and the constituency of Acklins, Crooked Island and Long Cay.”