Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan has said that citizens of Dominica living overseas should be given the right to vote during general elections.
He made that statement during the first group consultation on electoral reform for members of the legal fraternity held at the State House Conference Centre on Monday.
“In recent times we have seen Commonwealth countries like Britain, for argument’s sake, removing the 15-year rule on the right to vote, Canada removing the 5-year rule to vote, Australia has done the same thing. I don’t know what’s the position in Africa, we will soon find out,” he said. “The developing international best practice is to give the right to citizens to vote either in their constituency in which they may have lived before they traveled for however long they may have been overseas.”
According to him, serious consideration needs to be made to remove the five-year rule.
“The migration of citizens who go elsewhere for greener pastures should not be punished for not being able to travel back for 10 days or 14 days or 5 days,” Mr. Astaphan remarked.
He continued, “I think serious consideration should be given to that.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Astaphan pointed out that on the question of cleansing the voters list, the law is there, but it has nothing to do with resources.
“Our current legislation requires every electoral list to be published in all the constituencies with a very clear notice that you have the right to object to anybody whose name is on the list if you believe they may be not have been resident in the constituency or in the existence of the old law, overseas for more than five years,” he stated.
Furthermore, Mr. Astaphan argued that he is not in favour of the idea of a fixed date for elections, “because that requires a constitutional amendment and that is not part of electoral reform.”
Where Mr come out nuh?
Bro Dominicans residing, living and working in dominica should he the ONLY ones to have a say. The rest of Dominicans living abroad and working abroad need to be barred from voting period! Why?
Cause if you not the one living with the consequences of something you done then you shouldn’t participate. Don’t need a law to say It. Integrity should tell u that. But we live in a world where we just wsnt handouts and to be beggars. The biggest issue is that we have no capable leaders left on either party. We need people with education and integrity. We need a new system, run the country like a business cause it is a business it isnt your personal purse for u and your friends!! Sir your words are your words for your own personal benefit. Not that of the dominican public!
Personally I can’t understand what you guys even having discussion if the list is not totally clean Total Re-Registration, Voter ID, and a Set Date for Election.
THE POWER IS ALWAY AND HAS ALWAY BEEN IN THE PEOPLE.
RESIDENT DOMINICANS
SHUT DOWN THE COUNTRY UNTIL THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION DO THE RIGHT THING!!!
TOO MUCH TALK MAN!!
OUR PARENTS DID IT NOW WE HAVE TO FIGHT AGAIN
When did an “attorney” have authority to decide who votes and who shouldn’t? Why is Anthony Astaphan making decisions on voting rights. Isn’t his position to represent whomever he’s supposed to be representing? I thought Dominicans were blind but it seems like they’re deaf also. Anthony Astaphan should sit at his desk and WAIT for a case to defend and not be on the campaign trail in search of people to vote.
I won’t be voting because I’ve not lived on the Island for over five years. By-the-way, I read that HE (LOL) want to change that timeframe.
It’s strange that this bald dwarf always appears in Skerrits worst hours.
But isn’t that this the same Anthony Astaphan that took time to explain what he named The Constitutional kool wosh bregade? While he is still here with us we should practice this constitutional legal concept on him
So then when you all were shipping them in by plane and boat just for a few days to vote on behalf of DLF was a clear breach and violation of the law. Because coming for a wkend… or a week.. or 2 weeks for VACATION is NOT!!!! the same as residing.. Thank you for your admittance. And we just sit back and let these people do this nonsense? Worse those people they brining in arriving all in red. We need to call them out. If you are a diaspora LIVING outside of Dominica for more than 5 years… YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE!. I do not care if you come for creole fest or carnival or christmas you do not live here for more than 5 years. you have not worked here for more than 5 years, you cannot vote!!
Mister should be given a medication to keep him out of our country for good. I am a Laborite but he and Charles Savarin have hurt our country really badly but mister in particular needs to be sent on permanent leave
Shut up Astaphan. You haven’t got an ounce of credibility left in Dominica. It’s very telling though, that Skerrit had to ask you to come out from the undergrowth to make propaganda for his course. The CM is under massive pressure from all sides. He is getting weaker by the day.
You are right, whenever the CM sees the need to reintroduce this greedy and shameless individual, we all know that the CM is under massive pressure. I always knew that the electoral reform would cost him his Premiership, one way or another.
I am not in total disagreement with Tony Astaphan’s position. HOWEVER, because we do not have legislation governing campaign financing, and the system we have is so open to abuse by the ruling party, that position gives a clear advantage to the corrupt ruling party that pretends not to understand the difference between government money and the party’s money.
dosent the dominican constitution state that you have to be a resident LIVING on island to be able to vote in elections on dca?
some of them people doh even visiting dca once in 5 years much less
Dr. Albert Einstein famously said words to the effect that the problems we have today cannot be solved by the same thinking (or persons) who created them in the first place. Go figure!
The enabler- in-chief and Skerrit’s brain sat by whilst the “I’m-the-people” leader practiced treating and bribery, to include paying airfares and giving spending money to labor party supporters to travel to Dominica to vote. Some were illegal because as he has mentioned the five years rule is in the constitution of Dominica. On how many occasions is he on record to bat for following the 5 year rule? Anthony A**-ta-phan, seems to want to follow the constitution in some instances and will facilitate disparaging it on other occasions. His behavior is at the root with the problems that citizens and patriots have with the judiciary in the sub-region. They facilitate violating the laws and have the laws protect them same time to achieve selfish greedy gains. So why is it a problem with amending the constitution to have a fixed date for elections and then it’s not a problem to change the 5 year constitutional residency? He’s picking and choosing to benefit labor party not Dominica.
@Jonathan St Jean
I think the people are sleeping. I do not know why it’s so difficult for the people to realise that imposters like Skerrit, Astaphans, con Vince, etc, have highjacked their democracy, and they must take to the streets to regain it,since this is the ONLY way out.. What is being called a consultation makes a mockery of the definition of consultation! The ordinary folk has no say.
You dam lie Tony. You all need to stop pretending that you so love the folks in the diaspora. The only thing you need them for is to buy tickets for them to come and vote DLP!
They want to vote? No problem; just implement a Diaspora Tax. And they should have to come a serve as jurors too, among other things
I totally agree with this tax, want to vote on the future of Dominica when you don’t even live there
@We the People
😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄
I like your first paragraph….This man Tony, lies even more than Skerrit you know my friend!!! And he won’t shut up. It is in his own personal interest not to do so!!
Reform can, and will only be found, when concerned Dominicans come out in numbers to demand it on the streets of Roseau…What is presently going on is just a show!! An insult to our intelligence really!
He defends diasporans right to vote to continue the PM’s winning legacy as per his email.
Tony Astaphans is a deplorable and always will be. He is adamant in supporting the importation of illegal voters, because he and skerrit know that Skerrit Party does not have majority support in Dominica.
Everyday people are seeing that these guys are in it for the few of them .
Both of them are only in it for the money.
This exercise is nothing more than giving Skerrit and his enablers a license to steal elections more freely to save them jail.
“Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan has said that citizens of Dominica living overseas should be given the right to vote during general elections.”(Anthony Astaphan).
Tony, I concur, and second the motion; nevertheless, I’ve the notion everyone in the diaspora, in which ever country they reside should enjoy the same opportunity. The way it is done in Dominica stinks of corruption; and indeed bribery!
The fact that one can spend more than seventy ($70,000,000) million dollars buying votes, and paying peoples passage, shuttling them home specifically to vote is corrupted and wrong!
The way that could be done is to have overseas Dominicans, even those with dual citizenship registered, and at election time a ballet sent to them as in the American system, hence supporters of all parties could have a chance to chose the government!
As it is only Roosevelt can afford to pay people to return to vote, which is wrong, and corrupt!
Hence he will always win!
The way that could be done is to have overseas Dominicans, even those with dual citizenship registered, and at election time a ballet sent to them as in the American system, hence supporters of all parties could have a chance to chose the government!
I WISH I COULD SHAKE YOUR BIG TOE!
Another Roosevelt’s compromised advisor being given prime time on this platform to bombard the readership with his biased, propagandistic views.
He said he plans to be present at every hearing going forward. This is clearly to influence and manipulate the process. How is it we don’t get the alternative views on this news site?
Journalism in Dominica has gone to the dogs. We need a new cadre of journalists who are well trained, fearless, impartial and will give the public the unvarnished facts. When the news media is inactive, compromised and dishonest, democracy goes dark. This is precisely the case in Dominica.
What about the St Kitts model of empowering its diaspora to legally vote in the land of their birth is so offensive to some of us here? We speak of “best international practice” in this matter. Where can we find a system similar to what is being promoted here (ban on the diaspora vote, ID Cards just for voting and nothing else, equal access by everyone to all media, government and private) as an example of a “best practice” in electioneering for Dominica to follow? Are we suggesting that we should invent our own peculiar wheel in this regard? What s the philosophical under pinning of such a thinking that would disenfranchise the diaspora vote, whilst at the same time encouraging the diaspora to get actively involved in local politics to influence how we vote here? How do we defend the situation where leaders of three political movements/groups/parties here can live and work for years in the diaspora whilst at the same time telling them they cannot vote here, Where is the rational?
Absolutely no surprise!!!
Astaphan was the one who stalled the ELECTORAL REFORM PROCESS since 2008, by his famous/infamous E-mail of 27th March 2008, at 10.27 am, addressed to Roosevelt Skerrit and carbon copied (cc) to Alick Lawrance and Hartley Henry.
He referred to the reform process as MADNESS, and told Starboy of Stupidity, Skerrit, it will undermine his (Skerrit’s) re-election winning legacy.
As for me, i firmly believe those who are not ordinarily reside and are domiciled here in Dominica SHOULD NOT vote here!!
Vote where you live!!
“Astaphan was the one who stalled the ELECTORAL REFORM PROCESS since 2008, by his famous/infamous E-mail of 27th March 2008, at 10.27 am, addressed to Roosevelt Skerrit and carbon copied (cc) to Alick Lawrance and Hartley Henry.”
Thus, the problems we have today cannot be solved by the same people who created them.
@Juanita
Reasons why the problem can’t be solved unless and until the people stand up to those tyrants. UWP has enough support, in the THOUSANDS, plus the numerous labourites that have left DLP after it was hijacked by Skerrit to come out on the streets of Roseau and demand Reform….This consultation is an insult to people like me…It’s the Skerrit Labour Party (SLP) fighting with the rest of us. Should Francine even be chairperson? I saw Francine questioning the opposition leader like it was a court case?
This country is just lost.
I back you on that one. Let them vote where they live!