St Helena : Advisory Group Report (14/08/08)
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Juanita Brock) 25.08.2008 (Article Archived on 08.09.2008)
The last Advisory Group was held on the 22nd July and it was felt appropriate to bring the August one forward in order to coincide with the visit of Andrew Allen and Jessica Gladstone from the Foreign Office.
ADVISORY GROUP REPORT –14th August 2008
The last Advisory Group was held on the 22nd July and it was felt appropriate to bring the August one forward in order to coincide with the visit of Andrew Allen and Jessica Gladstone from the Foreign Office. Andrew was in Ascension to undertake some focused consultation on the twin subjects of elections to an Island Council and the revision of the Constitution. Jessica is a Legal Adviser and was able to provide professional advice in that area. I used the word “focused” because Andrew adopted the idea of holding meetings in the workplace rather than anticipate attendance at a public meeting in the evening.
He told the Advisory Group that he had been able to meet some 240 people in 8 different meetings by going to the people rather than expecting them to come to him. This is a massive improvement on holding a public meeting in terms of being able to hear everyone’s views. Thus he was able to discuss the benefits of having a democratically elected Council with a good proportion of the community.
He reported that the discussions had often been lively and that some understandable concern remains over the events leading up to the resignations of Councillors in March last year. However the feeling that it is now time to move on was expressed by many and the case for returning to an elected Council was outlined.
The fundamentals of that case show that it is very much in the interests of all living on Ascension to have an elected Council because:
• An elected body will be far more representative of the people than a selected one,
• A significant backlog of work and decisions has been created by the lack of a Council over recent months,
• There is important legislation to consider and as Governor I should have the advice of the community through properly elected representatives,
• There is also the matter of scrutiny. A Council will have a strong influence and guiding hand over AIG.
Andrew reported that the issue of most interest appeared to be taxation. It is precisely this kind of subject that requires reasoned discussion between elected Councillors and government officers in order to advise and inform. Without such Councillors the whole operation of government lacks adequate scrutiny. As things stand the Governor and the Administrator may appear to be acting in a dictatorial manner, surrounded only by appointees for advice. That cannot be in the interests of the community.
Andrew felt that most of those who spoke had agreed with these principles, but being a Councillor is a serious responsibility that inevitably takes quality time, and there was no certainty that enough candidates would present themselves to make the election valid.
One of the issues is around the actual number of Councillors being sought. Seven is a large number for a relatively small community. However we are well aware that Ascension is very much a working community and by having more Councillors than might normally be expected, the work load can be shared in a manner that means a lighter burden for all. It was also confirmed that having only seven nominations would mean that no voting would take place as the law requires that all seven would have to be appointed automatically. It is far healthier for an electorate to have a choice of candidates in a ballot, for which there would need to be at least eight eligible candidates nominated.
The Advisory Group was convinced that a firm political lead from an elected Council would be very beneficial and I agree heartily with that conclusion. Now is the time for those who have concerns, and who believe that they can see how the Island really should be run, to be prepared to invest some of their time and ability for the benefit of the whole community. October the 14th is not far away.
The Group then heard from Andrew that he had raised some of the issues contained in the proposed revision of the constitution. He had told all the meetings that although discussion of a constitution might seem to be a particularly abstruse and boring matter, nevertheless the constitution underpins all the law applicable on the Island. It is the very basis of all legislation. What that means is that if something is stated in the constitution it cannot be overruled by subsequent legislation – only by a constitutional change. And that is much harder to bring about.
The two matters that had generated most interest were to do with the inter-relationships between the three islands – St.Helena, Ascension and Tristan, and the section on the subject of Human Rights. As far as Human Rights is concerned there appeared to be a great deal of misunderstanding. Rights already exist in international law for people living on Ascension and the proposed constitution clarifies the situation in an appropriate manner. The major change in the inter-relationships is that Ascension and Tristan will no longer be known as “Dependencies”. The islands of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cuhna will form one Overseas Territory overseen by a Governor and Attorney General in St.Helena, but each with their own elected Council. It is still early days as far as consultation on the constitution is concerned and further discussions will be held.
One of the views expressed to Andrew by Saints was that they found any idea of taxation on their homes in St.Helena difficult to understand. As far as taxation in St.Helena goes, we are reviewing currently all the options and possible changes that might help to balance the payment of tax in a fair manner. The only problem with consulting on such an issue is that everyone understandably objects to any apparent rise in their own tax obligations. A great deal of thinking and discussion remains to be done and consultations will be held before any decision is made.
As far as charges for being connected to utilities is concerned the situation is far clearer. Councillors here have taken the view that a house that is connected to utilities is liable to pay a standing charge whether those utilities are being used or not. Such a decision is not unreasonable as the maintenance of the grid, whether water, electricity, or phone (which is a private sector matter), has a cost. Indeed most civilised countries would continue to levy such a standing charge.
Andrew said that he had found the meetings very informative and stimulating and I feel that such a pattern of meeting people may well be adopted more in the future wherever possible. I am looking forward to another Advisory Group during September, hopefully when the new Administrator has arrived, and I hope to report to you then. I have also planned to be with you on 27th October in order to swear in the new Council and start work with them immediately.
AMG
15th August 2008
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