Nandlall ignoring the inconvenient truth

Nov 26, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

In a letter published 24 November 2022, the Attorney General made known that he has “comprehensively addressed and conclusively settled the germane issue” as it relates to “persons whose names are lawfully on the [voters] list cannot be considered ‘bloat’… ” While the learned Attorney fantasises that he has laid down the law on the issue and the debate should be concluded, the problem remains his general understanding of bloat.

Editor, I am not learned in the law; however, as a layperson, my question to the Attorney General is simple: Why should people whom we can identify as dead or not eligible to vote remain in the electorate?

As the learned lawyer leans on the law, he ignores the inconvenient truth. Neither can dead people vote nor can they encourage others to exercise their franchise. Messrs. Lowe and Alexander deployed their understanding of bloat and the current construction of the voters list. Their metaphor applies; their construction remains apropos. Their argument is not to prove past eligibility of who visited the polls in 2020. The concerns center on identifying duly and rightful electors in future elections. Maybe the legal profession has no definition of bloat. However, a foray into its definition reveals some inconvenient truths.

Editor, the medical community ground their understanding of the intestinal condition known as bloat. From this perspective, bloating results from a belly that feels tight and full often due to gas. The medical profession advises that bloating should not be mixed up with other forms of abdominal conditions, which includes abdominal wall laxity. This common misdiagnosis makes me wonder whether the learned lawyer loosely or legally legitimatises electoral laxity. In addition, I wonder about the resistance to removing names from the voters’ list.

They say that one cause of bloating is constipation. Any schoolboy knows that definition, so I will not treat that here. Perhaps a legal definition exists. I don’t know. I tried to look up a legal definition of bloat, but I could not find a useful one. Not surprisingly, I came across its use among morticians. From this perspective, bloat usually occurs a few days after death. Known as putrefaction, this occurs during the second stage of decomposition. In this stage, the accumulation of gases causes swelling. This accumulation gives the body a swollen appearance. Perhaps our learned friend proposes for us to hold onto our gas. Even Exxon opposes that proposition.

Editor, speaking of dead bodies, perhaps the AG will dismiss my missive as no additional advancement of the debate. No worries. The issue that I am worried about relates to the comprehensive addressing and conclusive settling germane to issue that centers on the death of Courtney Crum-Ewing. Since he is dead neither can he vote nor encourage others to exercise their franchise. Editor, I wonder is he considered bloat?

Sincerely,

Les Archer