The prohibition in the General Orders forbidding public servants from participating in active politics has been deemed unconstitutional.
In a decision handed down yesterday by outgoing judge Westmin James, the court ordered that all disciplinary proceedings against the public officer who spoke on a political platform during the 2022 General Election should be permanently stayed.
Constitutional attorney Gregory Nicholls, who represented Natalie Maria Murray, the public officer who challenged the disciplinary proceedings against her, hailed the decision.
“This is an important time for us to pause and reflect about the state of regulations that we have always had in Barbados.
“We have a number of regulatory frameworks in Barbados that have stood the test of time. But the question is, do these regulations continue to operate in a way that effectively nullifies and negates Constitutional rights?” he asked.
“This case, therefore, proves that a citizen can get redress in respect of the fundamental rights and freedoms that they enjoy under the Constitution and the courts will hold any regulation enforced to the highest scrutiny.” (HLE)
