Update Parliament

THE EDITOR: Our Parliament is simply not working satisfactorily. it has become obsolete; piecemeal change is not the answer, and the entire constitution needs revamping. The first-past-the-post system that now exists, and which we inherited, must give way to proportional representation which most advanced countries of the world have accepted in some form or the other. It is the ideal system. Our first-past-the-post system has many defects; it lends itself to corruption in Parliament. The cabinet, with a set of yes men, rule with main and might. Parliament has become a rubber stamp. With proportional representation every vote is counted for the party and seats are allocated so that no single party can form the government. Instead it will be a coalition.

We would thus avoid what took place some years ago when the ONR collected more votes than the PNM and yet did not get a single seat while the PNM with lesser votes swept the board. Dr Williams appointed a committee headed by the famed judge Sir Hugh Wooding to work on constitution reform. After a year’s hard work the supposed Constitution was handed in to be debated in Parliament — it had recommended proportional representation. 

Dr Williams said that was a dagger aimed at the PNM and it never saw the light of day; it was thrown in the rubbish heap. There is no hope that Manning would ever agree to constitutional reform, for the present system has the PNM safely entrenched. The country, however, needs going forward. who will come to its rescue? The opposition is in disarray, one feels like in other countries the militant lawyers and learned professors should come to the forefront. There would be need to get help from the International Court and the UN.

SAMUEL DOODNATH
Penal