Who is popular today?

THE Prime Minister said Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein had admitted that election boundaries are set by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and not by the PNM as had been alleged by UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Dr Rowley commented as he wrapped up debate on a motion to approve a recent EBC report which called for no change to boundaries in the upcoming Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election.
In the House of Representatives on Thursday, the PM had moved the motion, to which Hosein had responded, with Rowley then wrapping up.
Hosein had said only minute changes of under 200 people had occurred in the populations of each of the THA’s 12 electoral districts since 2016.
“That would have been the reason why the EBC in conducting their constitutional duty would not have changed the boundaries. So basically before us is no contention in the boundary changes because there are none.”
Rowley, in his wrap-up, made an apparent reference to Hosein’s youthfulness. He said, “Those of us who spend time with the ecclesiastical documents would know it being said that out of the mouths of babes and sucklings can come great wisdom.” Rowley drew everyone’s attention to Hosein’s comments as “a very comforting and valuable statement.”
He quoted Hosein saying “the EBC had done its constitutional duty and recommended no change in the boundaries.”
Rowley said he liked this statement saying the shifting of boundaries was the role of the EBC plus Parliament, unlike claims by another UNC MP trying to explain away her disastrous reign.
“Today I’m very happy that a member of the UNC has put that on record in the Parliament,” Rowley said. “I hope that erases from the minds of all those who would have heard the Leader of the Opposition say the reasons elections are won by the PNM is they have small seats in Diego Martin and Diego Martin has three seats and Siparia only has one seat.
“That piece of misinformation this afternoon the Member for Barataria/San Juan has put that in its perspective and given the lie to what as been said.”
He said Hosein’s remark agreed with the view that boundary changes are not done by political parties but by the EBC.
Rowley earlier said the Tobago electorate had grown from 48,677 voters four years ago to 50,789 voters now. He said across 12 seats of the THA, this worked out to about 200 new voters in each seat. (Hosein calculated the overall increase as 2,122 voters.)
Rowley initially incorrectly stated the THA election date but later thanked Hosein for correcting him to say it was January 25, 2021 (with January 4, 2021, as nomination day.) Rowley said the EBC is ready to conduct the election.
The post PM: UNC MP confirmed PNM does not set electoral boundaries appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.