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Beating War Drums
March 11, 2001
It is such a time that war drums are being beaten and "town meetings" called as the PM says to mobilise his party faithful to "defend the party and the government".
And why this defence? Because, according to him losers do not want to concede defeat in a 3 month old elections.
If there ever was an attempt to "fool all of the people" this would be it.
The UNC is claiming that by pursuing objections to the nominations of candidates only after the poll was held, there is imputed a sinister motive.
The fact that no nomination can be challenged properly before the poll according to the present law in the Constitution and Representation of the People Act, is deliberately being ignored.
An election petitiion according to the law can only be filed after the person whose nomination is being challenged has either won or lost the election.
Therefore, the person challenged, having been voted for then raises the argument it is sore losers who are trying to go against the will of the people.
Conveniently, they hide the fact that the "will of the people" i.e. the poll had to be conducted first then the challenge to their nomination could be made.
What has also been distorted is the challenge to the petitions, on the claim that to file such election petitions is to deprive the respondent of some constitutional right.
Which right? The "right" to hold office which is not a right. The right to respond to the petition in court. Certainly not, they can go to the court proceedings on the petition and argue their case.
If such violation of constitutional right existed, then every respondent to a divorce petition, another petition possible before the court will have suffered breaches of their constitutional rights merely because their partner filed a petition seeking a divorce.
Now, the Attorney General in another sleight of hand says, he opposed contempt of court action against the media because they must have freedom of expression.
Imagine, suddenly he is a defender of the media.
But it is a self-serving statement to claim that he should not be the subject of contempt action since he also was merely exercising his right to freedom of expression in launching is ludicrous attack on the Judge in the Constitional actions simply because he says the Judge sought a house (being entitled to one as part of the terms of his engagement on the bench of the Court).
Those who want real democracy in this country and who are opposed to the attemtpt to create the illusion of being under attack among UNC supporters with the aime of mobilising them to "defend the party and the government" and unnecessarily inflame passions and prepare the conditions for divisive violence MUST SPEAK OUT NOW!
HOMEPAGE
Copyright © Clyde Weatherhead
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