RESIGN...IMMEDIATELY!

They "didn't know".

That's what the Election Commission, formerly the Electoral Advisory Committee said yesterday. They, this august body of learned Jamaicans, which includes I must add, a prominent University Professor and a Judge, did not know that the man who has been serving as Director of Elections over the past 10 years, is ineligible for the position.

You see according to Jamaican law, you cannot sit on this important body, the Election Commission, if you have dual citizenship.

So, not one member of the Commission, none of them, and did I say that a judge and University Professor were among them, knew that you were ineligible to sit on the body if you had dual citizenship.

Funny though, that I figured that out just five minutes after reading the Act which governs the Election Commission. The Act, "The Representation of the People (Interim Electoral Reform) says it in black and white. After laying out how many members, and who is allowed to appoint members of the Commission, - ( I am sure they read that) - it says in section 2. 1. (f) "No person shall be a qualified to be a nominated member if he"... "is, by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state".

Right there that's what it says, and guess what all I had to do was go to the Internet to find that!
And I am sure, by virtue of being members of the Commission, they all must have a copy of the Act, or can go to the Commission's office and get a copy of the Act.

I mean surely, the goodly judge must have a copy of the Act, after all he's a judge and aren't his rulings based on law? So shouldn't he have a copy of all the Laws of Jamaica?

And what about the University Professor, for god sakes he's the chairman of the board, surely, the chairman must know the Act.

But, this august body of learned men, which let's not forget includes a judge and a university professor, say they did not know that the Director of Elections could not hold dual citizenship.

I don't know, maybe I am alone on this one, but it bothers me that the body who ultimately holds true power in this country, since they oversee our elections, does not know the Act which governs them.

I don't know maybe that's just my typical type 'A' character, but I would know every single detail of that Act, and all other subsequent Acts which governs my body, better than my own name. But hey, maybe that's just me. I can be anal like that.

I wonder if I was in the Professor's class for example, if I could get away with answering one of his exam questions with a simple, "I didn't know"? Or maybe I could stand before our esteemed judge answering, say, a murder charge with, "I didn't know"?

Somehow I doubt I'd be so lucky. But since we now know that the Director of Elections is ineligible for the post, and since we now know that the very learned men -which let's all say it together, includes a University Professor and a Judge - have no knowledge of the act which governs them, I say let's force every last one of them to resign. Sorry gentlemen, but we didn't know is simply not good enough. And right now I don't know if any of you are suitable for the job.