Government has formed a committee to review the Parliamentary Election Act. The news, revealed in a notice of a motion given by the Premier in Parliament yesterday, has left hanging in the balance a motion by Shadow Legislative Affairs Minister John Barritt on the absentee ballot.

And the Opposition party is accusing Government of stifling debate with "childish" tactics.

Mr. Barritt was beaten to the punch, almost, when Premier Jennifer Smith gave notice of a take note motion on the formation of a Government committee to review the Parliamentary Election Act.

Mr. Barritt moved his own take note motion on the establishment of the absentee vote. But the Premier's notice meant it could not be taken up, ruled Speaker Stanley Lowe.

Following Mr. Barritt's objection, Mr. Lowe said he accepted the notice "with reservation". Ms Smith insisted that the motion should be null and void and, referring to research done on the absentee ballot by three young Bermudians, said Mr. Barritt should present the information to the Government "instead of grandstanding".

Mr. Lowe then said he would take the matter "under advisement" meaning he would think about it.

Mr. Barritt originally gave notice of an absentee ballot motion last week but it was ruled out of order because under House rules, the Opposition can not bring a motion that would require expenditure of Government funds.

So Mr. Barritt went back to square one to redraft the motion.

Ms Smith's motion read: "That this House take note of the fact that the Government has empowered a committee to examine the Parliamentary Election Act 1978 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 said: "that this House believes provision should be made for voting by absentee ballot in Parliamentary elections in Bermuda."

The ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) has long been committed to extending voting rights. "There's a profound difference between the two motions," said Mr. Barritt later.

"The Government motion is a take note motion of work being done by a committee to review the Parliamentary Act and that's the first we've heard of any committee being set up to review the Parliamentary Act. My motion is a substantive motion rather than a take note motion. The point I tried to make to the Speaker was that we were not aware of the committee or the Premier's motion. I had worked with the Speaker's office to redraft the motion I put last week."

Mr. Barritt accused the Government of trying to stifle debate and pointed to Works Minister Alex Scott's take note motion of the Auditor General's report on the senior school construction project.

Once a motion is tabled it cannot be discussed in the House until the Government decides to take it up.

"It's pretty transparent," continued Mr. Barritt. "Having seen what we tried to do last week and in view of what she had to say in the House, trying to urge the Speaker not to go forward, it's a kind of childish one-upmanship. Bt the fact of the matter is we are calling on the house to support the principle of absentee balloting and the Government is trying to do a take note motion."

The students' research paper, which was tabled last week, shows different approaches in Commonwealth nations to the absentee ballot.

Mr. Barritt added that the House of Assembly is the right place to bring up such matters. "We are being stymied from debating the important issues in the country today. The other one is the Bermuda House Corporation report and the Speaker won't discuss that because there's a criminal investigation going on."

"To that I say 'Damned if we do, damned if we don't'" responded Mr. Scott when told of Mr. Barritt's accusations. "I bring it (the Auditor's report) to the representatives of the people where we can have a full debate and he says I'm trying to stifle debate." If he hadn't moved the motion, he continued, the Opposition would be doing the same thing.

The Opposition was raising a "red herring" he added.

Mr. Scott said that a debate on the auditor's report would give the Government an opportunity to update the country on the senior school project, discuss the "merits and demerits of the report" as well as the office and role of the Auditor General. "I have no difficulty in being audited, but the auditor should be held to an even higher standard and if he falls short of that we should be able to query and question if there's anything we can do to improve the office of the Auditor General. It's nothing to do with the person in the office."

He noted that the Auditor General can remain in office until 70 years of age.

"You have to wonder if after a while he doesn't end up auditing his own handiwork. And if parliament agrees that's a good thing then so be it."

And to Mr. Barritt's assertion that the Opposition was not told of the committee reviewing the Parliamentary Act, he said: "Poppycock. We can fill the pages of your newspaper with what the Opposition doesn't know and we can fill two column inches with what they do know. And so really we can't use that as a yardstick to anything."