The Constitution and Bill of Rights have been approved by the Privy Council and will be going in front of British Parliament for final approval. This means that the Constitution and Bill of Rights will be coming into fruition very soon.

With the approval of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, there will also be the implementation of the Electoral Boundary Commission’s (EBC) report and recommendations. Essentially, the EBC report and purpose were to split each district into individual voting sectors that would each have one seat within the Legislative Assembly.

This idea was adopted with the hope of ensuring the ideal of “one man, one vote”. This restructuring would increase the amount of seats from fifteen to eighteen, assigning each seat to an official voting district. For instance, Bodden Town would be split into three electoral districts; Savannah/Newlands, Bodden Town West and Bodden Town East.

This is not necessarily a negative idea to adopt because it concentrates already relatively pre-designated areas of bulk votes. This type of designation will aid the electoral process’s organisation and procedure. Such electoral boundary restructuring is part and parcel of a country’s modernisation and is a needed progressive change to properly manage a burgeoning and increasing nation.

However, with the adoption of party politics there would also be a grave concern as to whether this change will be polluted by party politics and have grievous repercussions. With party politics and official electoral boundaries there is a greater chance that these boundaries can and usually will come to represent political and ideological barriers. Essentially, such voting boundaries allow parties to create and foster party strongholds within the individual districts.

For instance, each individual voting district could be controlled by an opposing party. Using the current makeup of the Legislative Assembly (as an example) Representative Eden (PPM) would have sway and political control over Savannah/Newlands, Minister Scotland (UDP) would have political sway over Bodden East and Representative Seymour (UDP) would hold sway over Bodden Town West.

At present, this is of little concern, as it follows the three seats and there is no designation of voting districts. With the adoption of formal boundaries, the political parties could exploit these and foster a neighbourhood ideal of ‘me against them’. This is the same ideal that fosters and exploits people to the point where politically-fuelled violence becomes commonplace.

Essentially, the political parties could use these boundaries as means to increase and fortify their individual party power and fracture the districts for their wants and agenda. The individual voting districts could become politically and ideologically opposed, ultimately shattering district and collective unity, causing the country to become deadlocked and embroiled in true political war and violence. This would be a picture not much different from the violence that ripped Jamaica apart in the late seventies and early eighties.

We would have island-wide violence and civil strife. Neighbourhoods would be fighting with neighbourhoods. A road or a strip of land could come to represent diametrically opposed beliefs and ways of life; it could come to represent the difference between salvation and failure. This is a powerful and distorting ideal to place upon the people. We have already seen that each party has preyed upon the emotional weaknesses of the people with hopes of power and control. We cannot assume that they will do any different in the future, if the electoral boundaries are enacted.

As voters, we must mature in our outlook, desires, needs and foresight when viewing our political future and issue of leadership. We have to be aware of how and where this country is being taken. The adoption of party politics have changed everything and brought the chance for varying and destructive consequences.

If our leadership will not mature as needed, then we have to firmly show that we want and need more from our politicians. We will have to wait and see how the island progresses and if these previous suggestions and recommendations will come to fruition. Nevertheless, it is necessary that we, as a people, take back our country and ensure that it is protected for and by the people.

Our needs and agenda must be taken care of; we do not have the time for political parties to trifle and waste time with their self-serving agendas. We must accept what has come and realise how to make it work the best for us as a people. We cannot allow barriers to be instilled in us; unity is the only way in which we will truly progress.