House Speaker Stanley Lowe yesterday killed an Opposition motion seeking support for the principle of the absentee ballot.

The decision effectively restored to Government the initiative to push through any reforms that will enhance voting rights. And it left the motion's sponsor, Shadow Legislative Affairs Minister John Barritt convinced that Government was stifling debate.

Mr. Barritt had originally proposed his motion November 22 but had to go back to the drawing board for redrafting after the Speaker pointed out that it violated House rules as drafted.

A row erupted in the House the following week when the Speaker ruled that he could not table the modified version because Premier Jennifer Smith had moved a take note motion on the formation of a Government committee to review the Parliamentary Act “with a view to recommending amendments to Government that will enable voters to exercise their right to vote to the fullest extent possible”.

Mr. Barritt's motion was “that this House believes provision should be made for voting by absentee ballot in parliamentary elections in Bermuda”.

The Speaker eventually agreed to consider the matter.

But Premier Jennifer Smith gave notice of a take note motion on the formation of a Government committee to review the Parliamentary Election Act “with a view to recommending amendments to Government that will enable voters to exercise their right to vote to the fullest extent possible.”

Yesterday Mr. Lowe said both motions dealt with the same issues but absentee voting would fall under the ambit of the Government motion, although he said the Opposition motion could still stand, saying he had taken a “common sense” approach.

Government's motion could take in the question of absentee balloting, he said. “You could tell he was setting it up to be struck off,” said Mr. Barritt later.

When the matter did finally come up, Mr. Lowe let it be known that Mr. Barritt could not move to carry it over into next week.

“So he has decided that, and I say it with respect - I think wrongly, that a take note motion should take precedence over a substantive motion which actually asks for Members to consider and debate whether the principle of absentee balloting is or is not a good thing,” said Mr. Barritt.

“It's a sad day when members of the House of Assembly are as a result of that decision deprived of the opportunity to debate themselves and have the public hear a debate on the pros and cons of absentee balloting.”

Mr. Barritt insisted that a parliamentary debate “in the sunshine of public scrutiny” was far preferable to a Government committee approach.

But he acknowledged that his party is entitled to move amendments to Government's motion.

“But it depends on when Government is going to take the motion up. I had every intention of taking the motion up quickly because as far as we know an election is looming and we are going to run out of time to put something in place.”

He repeated earlier claims that the Premier's motion was a “transparent ploy” intended to prevent the Opposition initiative. And he dismissed questions about the Opposition's motives in bringing the motion - the party had voted against the National Liberal Party's (NLP) absentee ballot initiative in 1984.

“This is 2002, on the eve of 2003. It strikes us that not only are there students abroad, but there are more and more people travelling as well... And the advance poll just doesn't cut it anymore,” he said. The ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) has long been committed to extending voting rights and has already denied Mr. Barritt's claims that it was trying to stifle debate.

Mr. Barritt denied a suggestion that the UBP was being self serving by trying to establish the absentee vote in time for the next election. Such matters only came up when elections are looming, he offered. “I know there are people who think we are crazy too if we think the absentee ballot will favour the UBP,” he said.

“You either decide something is right or its wrong and we have decided that it's right. And frankly we don't know but we do know that a lot of people are losing the opportunity to vote.”