Changes to Coat-of-Arms part of wider Constitution reform issues
Attorney-at-Law Martin George says the conversation around the changing of the country’s Coat-of-Arms to remove Columbus’ ships should be only one part of a larger national conversation.
George, who was speaking on CNC3’s The Morning Brew, said there are multiple issues that must be discussed.
“First of all, we need to understand … the purpose of a Coat-of-Arms. If it is for the purpose of identification of your nation, then there could be merit in saying, ‘At this point in time—2024 and going forward—maybe the three ships of Columbus are not the best identity for Trinidad and Tobago going forward’,” the attorney explained.
According to George, the topic of changing the Coat-of-Arms came up within the larger context of Constitution Reform.
And he believes the final report from the Constitution Reform Committee should have been fully ventilated in the public before the PNM held its special convention.
“That is something that ought to have been made publicly available, in the sense of having a newspaper pullout,” Martin George points out. “The Committee should have invited the public to [peruse it], saying ‘This is our report. This is what we are thinking. Here is a summary of [our recommendations]. These are the main talking points. Here are the hot button issues’,”
George observes: “I think that Mr Barendra Sinanan and his team ought to have at least shown that respect to the nation by doing something of that sort.”
“I am still hopeful that they can engage people,” he adds.
Martin George maintains it is important for politicians to have the widest possible feedback for something as important as changes to the country’s Constitution.
The post Changes to Coat-of-Arms part of wider Constitution reform issues first appeared on CNC3.