New constitution must be made public

Hopefully the document will be made available to members of the public for review and comment before it is finally implemented and I am sure that there will be many critical comments expressed by concerned citizens.

The fact is that the entire system of governance that presently obtains in this country is severely flawed and in need of immediate change. The House of Representatives as the name implies, should consist of individuals who are elected to represent the interest of the constituents who voted them into office and to act in their best interest and to the best of their ability and without allegiance to any political party that they may be a member of, as their conscience and mind dictate and not in accordance with the dictates of any particular individual. Surely there must be honest and intelligent individuals with a mind of their own who are capable of acting responsibly and intelligently in the best interest of the constituents whom they represent. There should be no such thing as Ministers of government appointed to manage the many departments of government, since generally, none of them have the qualification, experience or knowledge necessary to perform efficiently in the positions to which they are appointed. The arrangement of any department of government like any business enterprise, should be administered by professionals in their particular field and capable of performing with the highest degree of competence and capability. The “Cabinet” should be dissolved with immediate effect, since they operate in total secrecy and must certainly be influenced by the Prime Minister who appoints them to office. All proposals and motions should be addressed to the entire house of representatives for their individual consideration and determination and in no way influenced by a Prime Minister or because of allegiance to any political party. Their individual decisions on any proposal or motion should be firmly made in the best interest of the constituents whom they represent.

The appointment of individuals to the office of President of the Republic, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and other such high positions should most certainly not be placed in the hands of any Prime Minister, since because of the system of Party Politics that currently obtains in this country, these positions are usually filled by the appointment of prominent party members who with the best of intentions may be easily swayed into taking the side of the government and by extension the party that they belong to. It is merely one of the weaknesses of human nature. How many times has it been said by the parent of a murdered gang member that he was a good boy and was not mixed up in any criminal activity. As for the proposed post of Executive President, this would (or should) make the post of Prime Minister redundant, since no establishment can be run by two Chief Executive Officers simultaneously. Secondly, this position must be filled by an individual elected by the constituents at a general election and most certainly not by any member or members of a ruling government. These are merely a few observations that presently come to mind but I am sure that there will be much and varied comment coming from members of the public if and when the newly proposed constitution is made available for public scrutiny and comment.

MARTIN KAVANAGH

La Romaine