Kamla: People hold the power, not govts
‘Citizenship without freedom to choose like bondage’
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2014 will forever stand as testimony that citizens, and not governments, hold the power in a democracy.
In the feature address at her Emancipation dinner at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on Thursday night, she also repeated citizens must not allow fear and panic to encourage them to block the country’s progress.
She said: “The constitutional reforms which were debated this week and passed in he Lower House (Parliament) shall forever stand as the turning point the people of our nation have been working towards for many years. The passage of three key reforms must stand as one of the most visible affirmations democracy must be based on the people having the power, not the governments.”
She added: “Citizenship without the freedom to choose the best possible representation could well be seen as another form of bondage. We cannot allow those who wish to strike fear and panic to continue with their unconscionable acts of injustice on the people of our country, to succeed in blocking the progress of our country and the empowerment of our people.”
As Persad-Bissessar continued to list the merits of constitutional reform, she cited historical milestones and history-makers who effected positive change.
She said: “In 1833, what if the Sir Thomas Buxton’s Emancipation Bill was defeated by other British MPs who might have said that they were acting in accordance with norms and the existing social order? In 1962, what if the push towards Independence was rejected because it was overruled by the voice of a loud minority?
“In 1990, with slavery and bondage having ended almost 150 years before, what if Nelson Mandela (the late freedom fighter) was not freed from prison and did not become the South African President?”
Persad-Bissessar also looked at the parallels between the significance of Emancipation Day and the need to be eternally vigilant towards freedom.
She said: “Freedom was an abiding commitment. It was imperative to never lose sight of the profound significance of Emancipation Day. It must never be just a moment in our history where we celebrate hard-fought freedom. Emancipation must be a responsibility each and every one of us takes seriously.”
She added: “The reason I say that freedom is an abiding commitment is because the enemy of liberty may not always be visible and in front of us. The enemy can be fear, panic, anxiety and a refusal to change and adapt to an increasingly modern society. For us to fight such enemies requires bravery, boldness and an unbending loyalty to ensuring the people of tomorrow inherit a nation that wants them to be free, and provides for them to succeed in freedom.”
What the bill says
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2014, which was passed in the Lower House, seeks to allow for the recall of MPs, set a two-term limit for prime minister and, the most controversial one of all—a run-off poll for MPs who did not win more than 50 per cent of the votes cast.
The bill will be debated in the Senate on August 26, and according to AG Anand Ramlogan, the Government needs the vote of at least one Independent senator to have it passed.