Forum for change
Publication: Sunday Sun
Date: Sun, Jun 1, 1997
Page: 26A
A number of concerned groups recently held eight public meetings and heard over 150 contributions from the "average man in the street" on how they would like to see the Constitution revamped. Terry Ally reports on some of the recommendations.
A coalition of non-governmental organisations is proposing a series of changes to the island's Constitution.
The recommendations by the People's Forum, are to be presented to the Henry Forde Commission which is reviewing the legal document. They range from the basic rights of Barbadians, to the right of land ownership.
Among the recommendations are four new fundamental rights to provide free medical and social care, housing, education and nutrition for Barbadians who, because of poverty, old age or disability, cannot provide for themselves.
The idea, said David Comissiong, director of the Clement Payne Cultural Centre, was that if people cannot get access to these basic necessities, then they can sue the Government.
Copies of the report are available, at a cost, from the centre.
Following are highlights of the recommendations:
Award of Contracts
- Implement an affirmative action programme that bars Government contracts of a specified size, being awarded to companies that exhibit gross patterns of discrimination against Blacks at the management level.
- Set a policy of awarding contracts in a preferential manner to small companies and firms.
Racial Discrimination
- Section 23 only prohibits racial discrimination by Government, and must be rewritten to also outlaw discrimination by private institutions, companies and firms.
- Set up a race relations commission to investigate complaints and assist victims in securing legal redress.
Monopolies
- Set up a public commission to police and take legal action to quash monopolies which are so powerful that they constitute a threat to the public interest.
- Prohibit conspiracies among businesses to fix prices and limit competition.
Participatory Democracy
- Reinstate local government.
- Set up a system for constituents to recall poor-performing Members of Parliament (MPs) before the general elections.
- Introduce a system of referenda.
- Make it mandatory that state property must be used in such a way as to benefit the largest possible number of citizens, rather than a few businessmen.
- Include workers on the boards of statutory corporations.
"Lone Ranger" Prime Ministerial Powers
The "lone ranger" power of the Prime Minister should be curbed by the following:
- Governor General should appoint Prime Minister on receipt of written statement from the parliamentarians stating their candidate of choice.
- Collective consultation with other members of his parliamentary group should be required for appointment of ministers or their revocation, senators, members of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Teaching Services Commission, Public Service Commission, Police Service Commission, and ordinary members of Judicial and Legal Services Commission, permanent secretaries and other key public officers, as in Section 99 of the Constitution.
- Appointment and removal of judges should be vested in the Judicial and Legal Services Commission and not the Prime Minister.
Parliamentary Democracy
- All parliamentarians should have access to Cabinet and public service documents.
- MPs should be divided into Select Committees with the power to summon government ministers and public officials, and investigate the private sector as well.
- Speaker of the House of Assembly should be elected.
- Reform the Senate - Half the members should be from political parties in the Lower House, one quarter from local government councils, and one quarter from important national organisations.
- MPs should file quarterly constituency reports.
- Voting age should be reduced to 16.
Land Use
- Prevent non-Caribbean aliens from owning land.
- Limit the quantity of land that can be owned by any individual, company or group.
- Guarantee access to all beaches.