Constitution Reform Bill
Having failed to commence work within its first 100 days in office as promised, the coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government has drafted a Constitution Consultative Reform Commission Bill and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo is seeking some million to establish a secretariat for the commission.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo
At a press conference hosted by the AFC on Friday, Nagamootoo told reporters that he had requested the money from Finance Minister Winston Jordan in next year’s budget, which is slated to be presented on November 28. However, he noted that he is not sure whether the entire sum was approved.
“I haven’t seen the reworked figures but we were asking for a substantial sum, not below $80 million. I don’t know what was finally approved… That is mainly for the consultation process, to take it to the different parts of the country… and also to establish a secretariat,” he disclosed.
He noted that the bill drafted for the Constitution Reform Commission has been tabled and he is hoping to have it passed before year end, or first thing next year, so that the secretariat can be set up to host countrywide consultations on what aspects of the Constitution ought to be changed or reformed.
In August last year, Government had established a Constitutional Reform Steering Committee (CRSC), headed by Attorney Nigel Hughes, who had compiled and submitted a report to Prime Minister Nagamootoo back in April this year. That report is yet to be made public.
However, the Prime Minister noted that he will soon make the final report available so that the public could be guided as to the “comprehensive and far-reaching” scope of reforms that have been proposed. He added too that based on what is presented during the nationwide consultations, it will be determined whether Government will go the “full mile”, taking into consideration the elections slated for 2020.
“The hearings may in fact produce recommendations that would take into consideration that you need to close the Constitution reform process within a time frame because as I see it, this would be a very marathon process not completed before two years is over,” he stated.
Nevertheless, Nagamootoo posited that while the process will be difficult, the party is still committed to having Constitution reforms.
Moreover, Nagamootoo posited that he is looking to consult with the parliamentary Opposition on the content of the bill, as he would like to have full support for its passage. He noted that the bill is not controversial as he himself has reworked it based on the previous Constitution Reform Bill, a process which he was involved in since 1996.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister mentioned that he is also seeking assistance from international donors on taking the Constitutional reform process along. He detailed that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has offered technical support and has since submit a proposal for a needs assessment team from the UN to determine what would be required to undertake constitutional reforms.
He added too that that at an appropriate time, Government would approach its international donors and some individual member countries for assistance to carry through the Constitution reform process. To this end, he remarked that a commitment has already been given by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for a substantial sum if Government pursues a reform in the Constitution for the protection of children to consolidate the constitutional protection.
Constitutional reform was a hot topic during the 2015 General and Regional Elections campaign, with the APNU/AFC coalition promising to undertake the task. As part of the reform process, Government had touted major changes to the governance structure, including separate elections to elect a President and National Assembly members; the capping of presidential powers; and changes to the composition of service commissions, among others.
The Constitutional Reform Steering Committee that was established will be responsible for effecting the changes to the Constitution when Government finalises its decision on the reforms.
The Committee – which comprises of former Director of Transparency International and Attorney Gino Persaud, Professor Harold Lutchman, former Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond, and was chaired by Attorney and AFC member Nigel Hughes – was established by the subcommittee on Parliamentary Affairs reportedly without consultation from the parliamentary Opposition.
In fact, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Clement Rohee had explained shortly after the Commission was established that his party was not invited to field any representative to the committee. He noted that the party views the persons appointed as “APNU/AFC hacks” and “residents of Office of the President”.
