Constitutional reform with UNC

THE United National Congress (UNC) is making the big move on the issue of constitutional reform. Firstly, within the party.

Beginning today, the UNC will launch a series of national consultations throughout the country in which a team of specially selected persons will solicit the views of UNC members on proposals to revise the party’s constitution. The first meeting is being organised by the combined constituencies of Nariva and Toco/Manzanilla and will be held tonight at the Guaico Presbyterian School, Sangre Grande. On the team are attorney Garvin Nicholas, Dr Tim Gopeesingh and Councillor Carol Cuffy-Dowlat. High on the agenda, according to a release from UNC’s Public Relations Unit, is the present constitutional position of the party’s deputy political leader being appointed by the political leader. Newsday learned that the UNC’s executive is advocating that the party’s constitution be changed to allow the political leader to appoint three deputies. Except for a few posts, all positions in the UNC are elected by the party’s membership. Political leader Basdeo Panday for the first time in 1995 when he was then Prime Minister, opened the contest for posts to ministers of his Government.

The UNC’s internal elections of that year, led to leadership factions in the party which saw former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj winning the post of deputy political leader. Maharaj was later expelled from the UNC, after he refused to support the then UNC government’s bills in Parliament. The proposed change from election to the appointment of three deputies, is similar to what obtains in the ruling People’s National Movement. The UNC’s Constitution is 14 years old and a constitutional team headed by attorney Garvin Nicholas, Dr Tim Gopeesingh and Councillor Carol Cuffy-Dowlat, will conduct the meetings. The constitutional team moves to the constituency office of Gerald Yetming, MP for St Joseph tomorrow.  That meeting will incorporate the constituencies of St Joseph, St Augustine and Barataria. On Thursday, the team will solicit the views of party members from the constituencies of  Port-of-Spain North/South, St Ann’s East, Diego Martin Central and Laventille/Morvant. The party’ PR Unit in a release yesterday, stated, “the review team will get the views of the members as to what changes will be necessary to push the party forward and reinforce its position as the alternative government.