antigua and barbuda

Digicel accused of interfering in electoral process

ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

Opposition Leader Lester Bird yesterday accused Irish communications firm Digicel of interfering in Antigua and Barbuda's electoral process.

Bird, in his weekly radio broadcast, referred to an October 2 newspaper article in which Edward Mansoor, telecommunications minister, boasted that Digicel, will be giving "over 15,000 people Internet access free of cost".

"The (Antigua) Labour Party would have no difficulty with such a big giveaway to the people of Antigua and Barbuda if there were objective criteria by which recipients would be selected and if the selection of areas to benefit from such a huge giveaway was done in a bipartisan way, favouring no political party and with no political purpose," Bird said.

Controversial constituencies

"But when the areas for the giveaway are scrutinised, it is clear that they fall within two of the constituencies that are the subject matter awaiting the decision of the Court of Appeal."

Bird said that the constituencies are the ones in which Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and Tourism Minister John Maginley are now the tenuous holders.

In March, High Court judge, Justice Louise Blenman, ruled that the March 12, 2009 election of Spencer, Maginley and Education Minister Jacqui Quinn-Leandro were invalid.

In declaring the elections invalid, Justice Blenman based her ruling on polling day irregularities, particularly the long delays before voting began in the constituencies of St John's Rural West, St John's Rural North and St George.

However, the governing United Progressive Party (UPP) appealed the ruling. The High Court has already heard arguments in the matter and is expected to deliver a ruling possibly later this month.

"I want to give the owners of Digicel the benefit of the doubt, and to assume that their head office in Ireland is not aware of the serious political implications of this iniquitous scheme," Bird said.

"I cannot believe that the owners of Digicel would, in any way, conspire with the UPP to initiate a plan that would interfere with the political process of a country in which they are partners with the people as a whole."

Bird noted that Digicel's general manager for the northeastern Caribbean, John Delves, when asked what Digicel expected in return for this giveaway replied that he expected "continued gratitude from the public".

Digicel-lime battle

"It has been suggested to me that because Digicel is locked in a telecommunications battle with LIME for the market here, Digicel may have done a deal with the UPP in return for the UPP shafting LIME," the opposition leader said.

"I have rejected these suggestions on the basis that no responsible company would act in such an underhand manner.

"On this basis, I believe it is right and proper that the owners of Digicel in Ireland should abandon this scheme into which they may have unwittingly been suckered by the UPP, and, instead, undertake a transparent programme in full consultation with all political parties, trade union organisations and other civic groups to decide how 15,000 people across Antigua and Barbuda could benefit from this giveaway," Bird added.

'It has been suggested to me that because Digicel is locked in a telecommunications battle with LIME for the market here, Digicel may have done a deal with the UPP in return for the UPP shafting LIME.' - Bird