Justice Minister Rayburn Blackmoore doubtful about 2-term limits for persons serving as Prime Minister

In response to suggestions that there should be term limits on the tenure of Prime Ministers, Justice Minister, Rayburn Blackmoore, has expressed the view that there should be no limit on the length of time that persons are allowed to remain as elected representatives in parliament.
 
Speaking on State owned DBS Radio on Monday morning, Blackmoore argued that voters should be allowed to elect persons for as long as they feel those elected meet their expectations. He said “People have a right to decide who they want to represent them. As long as the person running for re-election has performed, has been able to meet their expectations, and has been able to serve their constituency well, I think it is an added plus to the whole democratic process”.
 
He added, “I think that you should never deprive people of the right to vote for a candidate of their choice.” He also noted that while the idea of a 2-term limit on an individual in the office of Prime Minister is a “useful argument,” the idea must be reviewed for smaller societies with “less talent, and less diversity.”
 
Blackmoore was responding to a recent statement by Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris, in which he promoted the island’s recent legislation, to impose 2-term limits on anyone holding the position of Prime Minister, as a model for other Caribbean countries to consider.
 
The Dominica Labour Party has won four consecutive general elections over the last fifteen years, and has been under the leadership of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit for the last 12 years. An article published on Caribbean360.com St. Kitts & Nevis’, notes the Team Unity Administration recently put forward a bill proposing two 5-year terms as the maximum time one can serve as Prime Minister.
 
Under the ‘Tenure of Office of Prime Minister Bill, 2015’, “A person who is appointed Prime Minister under the Constitution shall, subject to subsection (2) of this section, hold office for a term of five years”; and “A person shall not be appointed to hold office as Prime Minister for more than two terms as prescribed by this section.” St Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris, said the decision is an important disciplining mechanism, which is vital to succession planning.