Ivan O’Neal writes Christian Council

15.APR.11

SVG Christian Council
Kingstown
St Vincent

Dear members,

Re: amendments / repeals of The Representation of the Peoples Act 1982 and the Criminal Procedures Code.

I write in my capacity as Leader of SVG Green Party and as a concerned citizen of St Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}} I wish to make a very strong call to all members of the SVG Christian Council to oppose the above amendments / repeals which are before the SVG House of Assembly.

SVG Green Party is totally opposed to the amendments / repeals of the Representation of the People Act 1982 and of the Criminal Procedure Code. It is not right that private criminal complaints should have to get the permission of the Director of Public Prosecutions before they can be filed.

SVG Green Party sees such amendments / repeals as a serious affront to natural justice and the democratic will of the people. It is a gross abuse of power, outrageous and highly immoral.

The above amendments / repeals were never in the manifesto of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) for 2010 general elections or any previous elections. The ULP does not have the authority from the electorate according to the law of the manifesto. Amendments / repeals only surfaced after complaints were filed against certain members of the ULP for alleged breach of the Representation of the Peoples Act 1982.

Nowhere in the civilized world could politicians or civilians break the law and then go to parliament to amend, repeal or delete the law they have broken, to prevent the natural course of justice. To amend or repeal a law in this manner is a gross abuse of power, riding above the fundamental rule of law and natural justice. More crucially, can the ordinary citizen break the law, then amend or repeal the law to save his skin? Of course not. No one, not even a Prime Minister, is above the law.

Look at the bigger picture. To give the green light to the ULP regime now will set an example for a law of the jungle in future, when subsequent governments in office take such a stance. It is a bad precedence for future governments in our beloved country.

I beg of the Christian Council to let peace and natural justice be the cornerstones of SVG now and always. No one is above the law. Please oppose the amendments / repeals of the Representation of the People Act 1982 and of the Criminal Procedure Code, where private criminal complaints have to get the permission of the Director of Public Prosecutions before they can be filed.

Yours faithfully
Ivan O’Neal   BSc(Hons), MSc, MBA                                      
Leader and Co-founder of SVG Green Party
cc:  His Excellency the Governor General of SVG 
Chief Justice of OECS
Director IMF and World Bank                  
Secretary General UN,
OAS and CARICOM 
UK, US and EU Ambassadors
Barbados Media