PEP leader calls on President to delay polls

THE PROGRESSIVE Empowerment Party (PEP) has now written to the Office of the President, asking for the August 10 general election to be postponed owing to the recent upsurge in local cases of covid19.

PEP political leader Phillip Edward Alexander, candidate for Diego Martin North/East, also sent a copy to the chief elections officer, saying the request is out of concern that the "general elections and everything leading up to it may have the effect of exacerbating the situation and promoting the spread of the virus to the detriment of the entire nation."

He cited section 34 of the Representation of the People Act, which deals with the adjournment of an election in event of an emergency.

The letter was sent after a sharp rise in positive tests. Some of the cases are said to have been contracted through local spread.

Alexander wrote, "Campaigning itself is providing opportunities for transmission through multiples of contacts by thousands of people directly involved in the campaign who can 'pick up' the virus on one location and deliver it to another, creating what the World Health Organisation refers to as pathways to infection that social distancing guidelines are designed to interrupt.

He also noted concern for the potential for widespread contamination of facilities used by voters on election day.

"Then there is the issue...where a million registered voters are expected to congregate at polling stations for hours, use the same confined facilities to vote, culminating in the insertion of a finger into the security ink that could now be transformed into the virtual soup of covid19, creating the potential to infect everyone who uses it and everyone they subsequently come into contact with.

"Madame President as you are no doubt aware, the guidelines are clear and written for a time such as this, and while the Elections & Boundaries Commission could be instructed to implement protocols to remedy this brewing catastrophe including the creation of sanitisation protocols for all polling stations where every surface is sanitised between each and every voter and the addition of the extra hours to the polling day that this will require, or the postponement of the election altogether for the full 30 days allowed or more for the interruption of the transmission of the virus, a far more important issue than any other at this time.

What the law says:

Section 34 of the Representation of the People Act says: (1) Where at any time between the issue of a writ under section 33 (1) and the day appointed by the writ for the holding of a poll at any election the President is satisfied that is it expedient to do so by reason of – (a) the existence of a state of war affecting TT; (b) the declaration of a state of emergency in TT or any part thereof by any authority empowered to make such a declaration; (c) the occurrence of any earthquake, hurricane, flood, fire, outbreak of pestilence or outbreak of infectious disease of other calamity, whether similar to the foregoing or not; the President may by Proclamation adjourn the holding of the poll to some other day specified in the Proclamation being not more than 30 days after the day specified in the writ."

PNM, UNC uninterested in delay

PNM Public Relations Officer Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing says PEP's request for the President to postpone the general election does not concern the ruling party.

"That's between PEP and the president," Lezama Lee-Sing said.

"There is no official response yet but I think the Prime Minister will address it in his speech tonight."

Incumbent Member of Parliament for Point-a-Pierre and UNC chairman David Lee said he read the letter but that the Opposition doesn't currently have a position.

"It's too soon (to take a position)." However, when pressed, he said he did not believe a delay of 30 days or fewer would affect the outcome of the election. Newsday was unable to reach Congress of the People political leader Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan and Movement for Social Justice leader David Abdulah for their views of the letter.

MND leader: Get it over with

Former attorney general and political leader of the Movement for National Development (MND) Garvin Nicholas, contacted for his view, said the delay would not cure the issue.

He said although he had not yet read the letter and is aware the section gives the President the power of delay for 30 days in certain circumstances, such a postponement would not make a difference.

"In this case I suspect the outbreak of infectious disease is the limb on which the letter would have been drafted. Such a delay would not in my mind, cure the issue. It is my belief that we should get the elections out of the way and then move forward with certainty," he said.

"Adopting proper protocols for widespread testing, tracing and isolation which could include self quarantine in cases of mild symptoms."

He said the economy could not afford any further uncertainty.

"Too many lives and livelihoods are being adversely affected/destroyed. This is not a time for political solutions but for a nations coming together to do what is in the best interest of the entire population."

Nicholas will contest the Diego Martin Central seat.