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  • 9 months ago
The Elections and Boundaries Commission will be getting new Headquarters at a site in St Clair which once housed the old Police Station.

The Mayor of Port of Spain says the project reaffirms the capital city as the cradle of democracy in this country.

The Prime Minister spoke about importance of an independent and secure EBC.

Juhel Browne reports.
Transcript
00:00The Mayor of Port of Spain, Chinwa Lane, is happy that the new Headquarters of the Elections
00:05and Boundaries Commission will remain in the capital city.
00:09This moment is especially significant because it reaffirms Port of Spain's role as the cradle
00:16of democracy in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:22We are thrilled that the EBC will continue to be headquartered in our city and we recognize
00:27that this facility will serve as the cornerstone for the Commission's vital work, whether it
00:33be ensuring the registration of voters, the conduct of free and fair elections in every
00:39constituency and the review of our constituency boundaries.
00:44Mayor Lane noted that February 7th marked the 100th anniversary of the first general
00:49elections to be held in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:52The EBC's Chairman, Mark Ramkeri Singh, spoke about another aspect of the history of such
00:59elections.
01:00The Elections and Boundaries Commission first came into being with the 1976 election.
01:06Next year will mark our 50th anniversary.
01:11From its first iteration as the Elections Commission and subsequently as a unified body,
01:18the Elections and Boundaries Commission, by successfully conducting elections in Trinidad
01:23and Tobago with the highest probity and transparency, has played a crucial role in shaping the democratic
01:32landscape of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:35The Port of Spain Mayor said this alterning ceremony marked the construction of what he
01:39called another monument in defense of Trinidad and Tobago's democratic way of life.
01:44I would like to thank the Prime Minister, Dr. The Honourable Keith Christopher Rowley,
01:49for continuing to defend and invest in our democratic institutions.
01:55Prime Minister Rowley commended the EBC for its work as he highlighted the issue of election
01:59data.
02:00Today, data is the blood that flows in the veins of countries and the EBC is about data.
02:11I don't know how many of you are paying attention to the furore in the richest nation of the
02:16world today, the most powerful military nation in the world today.
02:21The furore last night and this morning is that the population is rising up, asking questions
02:29about who is having access to their data.
02:33As the opposition has raised its concerns about the EBC in recent years, the government
02:38has consistently defended the Commission's management of the general elections, local
02:43government elections, Tobago House of Assembly elections and by-elections.
02:48The EBC holds your name, it holds your date of birth, it holds your address and maybe
02:56more, probably your gender.
03:00You might think that that is just by the way, but when you understand how that can be used
03:06for you or against you, you will then realise how important it is to have an up-to-date
03:15EBC, a secure EBC and an independent EBC.
03:20The EBC's chairman spoke about a new proposal for the production of ID cards.
03:26Once operationalised, we expect to be able to print ID cards not only at our central
03:32electoral office, as it is now limited to, but also at select offices such as Arima Piarco,
03:41Tobago and San Fernando PinalDB.
03:45This will enable same-day delivery of ID cards to many persons who are conducting renewal
03:50or replacement transactions.
03:52The EBC's chairman said its new headquarters will serve as the hub for innovation and electoral
03:58processes.
04:00Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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