Roach: More urgent election issues than EBC

INDEPENDENT Senator Ian Roach said he could not support a private member’s motion by UNC Senator Wade Mark which called on government to introduce legislation to make the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) more accountable, saying there were more pressing national issues to deal with, such as campaign finance.

On the motion in the Senate yesterday, Roach said he had initially been excited about participating in the debate, but had become disappointed in the substance of the motion as the debate continued.

“I was a bit taken aback, I was a bit disappointed, because I thought he was going to give some sort of flesh onto the urgency of having the institution of the EBC brought into question here.”

He said if the country was serious about shoring up the integrity of the electoral process, and elections being free and fair and continuing to have elections it could feel proud about, “To me the most urgent need in this is campaign finance. Campaign finance is the thing that supposed to be reformed with great urgency, not trying to bring the EBC before us.”

He said there are a number of safeguards already built into the Representation of the People Act and the Constitution to ensure the independence and accountability of the EBC.

He said TT had held free and fair elections since 1962.

Also contributing to the debate was Opposition Senator Anita Haynes, who said the motion was to explore ways to strengthen any deficiencies within the EBC which may arise in the future.