The Constitution Reform Commission (“CRC”) was formed in 2022 to consult with citizens on the development and enactment of a new Constitution for Barbados. On Wednesday, Rotarians got the opportunity to contribute to the process after engaging comments from the CRC panel which comprised Commissioners Mr. Chris de Caires, Mr. Khaleel Kothdiwala and Rtn. Kerry Ann Ifill.
Mr. de Caires’ initial comments provided the context and workings of the Commission as he touched briefly on the components of the Constitution i.e. executive, judiciary and parliamentary. While he indicated that the CRC is working to gather as much information from a broad cross section of the community, he noted that not many people have taken an interest to what is widely considered an important debate. Moreover, there are many citizens who have not read the Constitution of Barbados. So far, the most widely discussed issues have been centred around religious and minority rights.
Barbados Scholar and Youth Advocate, Commissioner Mr. Kothdiwala displayed his in-depth knowledge and research on the topic of Constitutional Reform. He simplified the constitution as a basic law which sets out governance and reflects the values and rights of the citizens. He also pointed out that in the past, there were no town hall meetings to provide the public with an opportunity to be involved in the process of formulising the constitution. Therefore, the setting up of the CRC allows the public to be involved in a very significant way.
In addition to the submissions from the panel, there were thought provoking comments from the Rotarians ranging from the importance of the Senate and the setting of term limits for Prime Ministers. The CRC expects to complete the remainder of its town hall sessions within the coming months.