By PTV
The date, September 1 for the adoption of Montserrat’s revised Constitution is less than one month away, and government is pushing to complete all prerequisites. Among them was the enactment of a number of bills that needed to be passed.
The relevant matters involved the Introduction, First, Second and Third Readings of a number of Bills entitled:
(i) Miscellaneous Amendments (Constitution of Montserrat) Bill 2011
(ii) Police (Amendment) Bill 2011
(iii) Interpretation Bill 2011, and
(iv) Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill 2011.
MP Donaldson Romeo as he did last year when government was seeking to ratify the draft revised Constitution having sought and failed to delay the process by asking Governor Davis to delay Friday’s sitting, was in parliament to argue the case against passage of the bills.
With numerous references, he raised issues relating to inconsistencies, inaccuracies and particularly to the undemocratic nature of the process itself, as he tried to dissuade the ruling party. The member would no doubt have known throughout his impassioned address that that his chance of succeeding was negligible, irrespective of the strength and sincerity of his presentation.
Countering, members on the government side said the bills were simple and needed little by way of extra time for digestion by the general public.
It was pointed out that the amendments were merely designed to bring them in line with the provisions of the revised Constitution.
And knowing that to delay their passage would have been to delay implementation of the revised constitution, Chief minister Reuben Meade had been uncomprising in reacting to MP Romeo’s letter to the governor – saying on local radio that the basis he had cited for requesting postponement of Friday’s sitting was flawed.
Still – soldiering on in parliament on Friday, it was Romeo’s position that like parliament’s resolution on the revised constitution in 2010, the bills before the house for amendment were being rushed through.
He contended that they lacked the benefit of public scrutiny and of public approval, throwing light in the process on deficiencies of the revised constitution and more especially on glaring inconsistencies in the way government had proceeded.
Nevertheless, from the ruling side member after member declared: “Nothing is going to stop the new constitution.”
In the end of the debate, the outcome was as expected. the bills were passed by with nine people voting and two abstentions.
