The Constitutional Amendment Bills Must Go!

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Written By – Dr Audrey Gittens.

The timing could not be more troubling.

At a moment when the courts are still hearing election petitions arising from the last general election proceedings that touch upon the integrity of our democratic process the Government has chosen to introduce Constitutional Amendment Bills.

Whether intentional or not, the optics are deeply concerning.

Constitutional reform is not ordinary legislation. It is an exercise that alters the supreme law of the land. It demands the highest levels of transparency, consultation, public confidence, and political consensus. It should never be undertaken in circumstances where significant constitutional questions relating to elections and democratic governance remain before the courts. The judiciary must be permitted to complete its constitutional role without the appearance that the legal landscape is being altered while fundamental electoral issues are still under judicial consideration. Even if the proposed amendments are unrelated to the specific issues before the court, public confidence in constitutional governance depends not only on what is done but also on how and when it is done.

Justice must not only be done; it must also be seen to be done.

The Constitution belongs to the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,not to any Government or parliamentary majority. Governments come and go. Constitutions are intended to endure.
That is precisely why constitutional amendments require more than numerical strength in Parliament. They require moral authority, broad national consensus, and genuine public participation.
The country deserves an open national conversation before any attempt is made to alter the supreme law. The legal profession, civil society, churches, trade unions, academia, the business community, and ordinary Vincentians should all have an opportunity to scrutinise, debate, and understand the proposed changes.

The Government should therefore withdraw these Bills until the election petition proceedings have concluded and the nation has had the opportunity to reflect on any legal principles emerging from those judgments.There is no constitutional emergency requiring these amendments today. There is every reason to proceed with caution.
Constitutions are not amended for political convenience. They are amended only when necessity is established, the public is fully informed, and the nation is prepared to move forward together.
The people must never be presented with constitutional change as a fait accompli.These Constitutional Amendment Bills should not proceed at this time.

The Bills must go!

END

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