G.G. Tells Oceana To Follow Protocol
On a letter dated February 2nd, Oceana, the non-governmental organization which is against offshore drilling, sent a letter to the Governor General requesting that a full scale enquiry into the matter regarding the rejection of over 8000 signatures by the Elections and Boundaries Department be launched.
Yesterday, the Governor General Sir Colville Young responded to Oceana’s letter and the news is not good. In the letter the GG states and we quote, “I have carefully looked into the Referendum Act but it gives no power to the Governor General to orders such an enquiry, If you are dissatisfied with the decision of the Chief Elections Officer, the proper course of action would be for you to take up the matter with the Minister responsible for Elections and Boundaries or the Prime Minister.” End quote.
When we spoke to the Vice President of Oceana Audrey Matura Sheppard a few minutes ago she stated that she isn’t buying it but will take the advice of the GG.
Audrey Matura-Shepherd Vice President Oceana
“Honestly from a whole strictly legal prospective I do not believe that the Governor General hand is so tied that he has indicated, however he has indicated to us to go to the ministry and we are going through the proper channel and that is the instruction to us we will do that, what many people don’t know is that under the referendum act there is a section that gave the Governor General the power to pass the rules and regulations to expedite the act, of course that is upon the advice of the minister responsible of Elections and Boundaries, so it is like a law that isn’t fully developed to make sure how the details of certain things and procedures should be followed and so at this point we are really the guinea pig and they are just charging the court as they go along, since the letter says go and write the prime minister that’s what we are doing and we sent off the letter this evening.”
Matura made it clear that Oceana is seeking to obtain the rejected signatures so that they can carry out their own investigation.
Audrey Matura-Shepherd Vice President Oceana
“Basically what we are asking for is that we want them to give us a list of all the names of the voter or the petitioners who signatures were rejected we want them to give us that list so that we and do our own verification because we don’t think it is just enough for them just to say that hey here are eight thousand plus people and they don’t qualify and we leave it at that. In addition we are also asking the relevant ministry to tell us on what base each one was disqualified and to point us on the law or to the rule to determine what process they would have used.”
Hipolito Novelo-Reporter
“What method will Oceana use to employ in order to verify these eight thousand plus signatures?”
Audrey Matura-Shepherd Vice President Oceana
“Two ways; either call the number of check with the person or you go and visit them at their address that is the proper way, that is the way they are checking for the new registrar and that ‘s is the way you would be using for people who are being placed on a petition and that is our position.”
According to Sheppard during a press conference held in Belmopan on February 2nd the Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai assured Oceana that they will be given a copy of the names that were rejected. That copy however, has not been delivered to Oceana.
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