Op-ed: Trinidad and Tobago’s constitutional reform commission suffers from accusations of bias and meager public participation

27 August

Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (photo credit: David_Peterson via pixabay)

AFTER a countrywide effort, the National Advisory Committee on Constitutional Reform received just 816 submissions from members of the public. It held 14 town hall meetings attended by 381 people and three youth events attended by 70. It received 32 submissions from civil society organisations, three from political parties, 11 from constitutional offices, and eight others.

By these paltry figures, in a nation of one million and more, emerges a sense that the exercise has, thus far, not fully captured the public imagination. More people have aired views on the coat of arms than on the 200-plus page report published by the committee. If this reform project continues, a worrying democratic deficit has already opened. The cause was not aided by the Prime Minister this week. In fact, Dr Rowley has done his best to doom it to failure. [ . . . ] From the start, we questioned the nature of this committee and its purpose. Time has proven our concerns more than justified. The public is turned off. Political analysts are confused. To date, no one can say what exactly is going to happen in the preordained conference planned for November – at which “consensus” is meant to emerge – or after.

A constitution is the supreme law of the land. If there is widespread confusion, mistrust and scepticism attending its reform, the process is not just doomed to failure, it has already failed.
Read the full article here: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday