![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/dno\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/Behanzin.jpg\" "\\"Behanzin\\"")
Magistrate Tiyani Behanzin has said that a reduction in the number of seats in Dominica could mean better political and economic organisation for the country.<\/p>\nMagistrate Tiyani Behanzin has said that a reduction in the number of seats in Dominica could mean better political and economic organisation for the country.<\/p>\n
He believes that this reduction could also help solve issues related to the Diaspora, along with providing a better managerial structure for the country.<\/p>\n
The magistrate, in a special lecture on the life of his father Rosie Douglas on Friday evening, said this was one of his father\u2019s visions for Dominica.<\/p>\n
\u201c21 seats is far too many. We need to reduce the size of government in a sense to reduce the amount of seats. You have 18 ministers running up and down this small little country; it doesn\u2019t make much sense,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you get 18 candidates to run an election, when you do win, everybody wants a ministry. It\u2019s a kind of a fight for ministries. Because the point is that even if you just arrived in parliament, you want your ministry. I mean after all…\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He proposed that a special few who possess effective technical and managerial skills be put to run the country with the guidance of politicians. He believes that the country is more in need of managers than politicians.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that it has to be that those people who may come in and there\u2019s a commitment to reduce the size of government perhaps the senatorial seats are reserved for them in the first instance and when the second weight comes, some other arrangements are made, but it seems to me that for a small country that we have, what we need more is managers less so than politicians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need effective technocratic managers guided by politicians who would have had some basis of representations for their positions but the management of the resource…<\/p>\n
Moreover, the magistrate alluded to the issue of Dominicans living overseas and their right to vote. He said a better system could be devised to accommodate the Diaspora during election times if seats are reduced. This, he said, was also a concern for his father as a Dominican politician.<\/p>\n
Behanzin believes that there are two distinctions to be made in determining those who should have the right to vote in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who hold our passports for economic reasons who don\u2019t live in Dominica ought not have any right to vote. Those who have economic passports should live in the country for five years before they are able to exercise their vote. ..\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose Dominicans outside should vote, but the question is, would it be feasible equitable and fair\u00a0 to just have them vote in the areas where they\u2019re born or where they\u2019re from? I think,\u00a0 that would be dangerous.<\/p>\n
He proposed: \u201cI think what we should consider to do it this, we should have virtual seats for those living outside. For example, either we cut Dominica horizontally in half or vertically, in half or we have two virtual seats. Those people will campaign and where the Dominican associations are they would exercise their vote well in advance of the national vote so they can be counted and taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n
He suggested that those elected through this system would have to be consulted whenever anything is passed in parliament.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo they don\u2019t have to attend a seat in parliament, it\u2019s the virtual members of parliament on the basis of connection with Dominicans living outside,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
The magistrate said that this crystallized idea is one to be debated as a country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u00a0 farther dangerous in terms of interfering with the\u00a0 outcome of those who live actually on the island and for that reason I think we should\u00a0 do it in terms of a virtual seats\u00a0 representing\u00a0 and all parties would be able to put their candidates up…with special consultations, connections\u00a0 with the main parliament,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Magistrate Tiyani Behanzin has said that a reduction in the number of seats in Dominica could mean better political and economic organisation for the country. He believes that this reduction could also help solve issues related to the Diaspora, along…","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":19854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n