CONSTITUENTS of Pointe-a-Pierre have said it makes absolutely no sense to them to change the name of the constituency to Claxton Bay.
Regardless of what the constituency is named, constituents do not see the quality of their lives improving as a result of it.
They also said changing the constituency's name will not have any effect on the outcome of the next general election because neither the UNC nor the PNM have done anything to improve the quality of life in the constituency.
In its report, dated March 13, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) reviewed the boundaries of all 41 parliamentary constituencies.
The report proposed changing the names of five constituencies.
They are Arouca/Maloney to Trincity/Maloney, D’Abadie/O’Meara to Malabar/Mausica, Lopinot/Bon Air West to Arouca/Lopinot, St Joseph to Aranguez/St Joseph and Pointe-a-Pierre to Claxton Bay.
The EBC also proposed boundary changes for 16 constituencies.
They are Toco/Sangre Grande, Malabar/Mausica, Caroni Central, Cumuto/Manzanilla, Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West, Port of Spain South, San Fernando East, San Fernando West, Claxton Bay, La Horquetta/Talparo, Laventille East/Morvant, Laventille West, Oropouche East, Tabaquite, Arima and Trincity/Maloney.
In the report, the EBC said, "In Trinidad and in Tobago, respectively, the electorate in any constituency shall not be more than 110 per cent nor be less than 90 per cent of the total electorate of the island divided by the number of constituencies in that island."
The report said the 1,095,080 population of Trinidad fitting into 39 constituencies would give an average of 28,079 people per constituency, equating to a permissible lower limit of 25,271 (90 per cent) and upper limit of 30,887 (110 per cent). To get the 52,163 residents of Tobago into two constituencies gives a constituency average of 26,082 people, with a permissible lower limit of 23,473 and upper limit of 28,690 people.
Changes to the boundaries of 16 constituencies arose from certain areas having too many or too few residents, based on these 90 per cent lower limits and 110 per cent upper limits.
The EBC said the electorate of Pointe-a-Pierre was 25,094 people and the constituency 31 polling divisions before an adjustment was made to its boundaries.
"Polling division 3206 with an electorate of 936 was transferred to this constituency from Tabaquite, thereby increasing the electorate of Pointe-a-Pierre to 26,030 and increasing the number of Polling Divisions to 32."
The EBC said the adjustments have seen the electorate of Tabaquite reduced to 28,653 which is within the permissible limits.
Correspondingly, the number of polling divisions in Tabaquite was reduced by one to 38.
The polling divisions in the former Pointe-a-Pierre/ new Claxton Bay constituency are 3206, 3210, 3215, 3220, 3225, 3230, 3235, 3240, 3295, 3296, 3300, 3305, 3310, 3315, 3320, 3325, 3330, 3331, 3955, 3956, 3957, 3960, 3961, 3962, 3963, 3965, 3980, 3981, 3985, 3986, 3987, 3988.
Pointe-a-Pierre has been represented in Parlia
