| First Constitution, election reform consultation wrapping up | | Print | |
| Friday, 11 June 2010 16:25 | |||
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The first round of constitutional and electoral reform consultation is nearing an end after a 10-day country wide information collecting trip. “The meetings were really in She said the meetings were very constructive and cordial. She was not approached with any ideas which were particularly surprising, but rather most residents raised similar concerns, focusing on a few key areas. Sullivan explained she is taking the 2006 Constitution as the basis of her work. According to Sullivan, the current version of the Constitution, revised in 2006, was appreciated by most people as fundamentally sound, but could be “tweaked” and “strengthened” — the words most often used by those who commented, she said. Sullivan agreed that some areas of the constitution are not in need of widespread review. She pointed to the chapter on Rights and Freedoms as a good example of an area which was modern and comprehensive and may only need some additions to improve or add areas not otherwise considered. “There are areas like that where I will not be recommending a lot of changes. I might be recommending additions but not changes at the moment,” she explained. Rights and responsibilities of Belongers was a hot topic of discussion, which Sullivan says she will be discussing in her report expected at the end of July. She says she has not made any decisions yet, so she cannot say what or if she will make changes, but her report will reflect the important role this issue plays in the country. Accountability of institutions was also a hot topic of discussion, according to Sullivan. “People wanted to see better arrangements and stronger arrangements for government to explain its expenditure plans and make sure public servants and ministers are held accountable for the work they are doing,” she said. On electoral reform, Sullivan said political parties are in no danger of being abolished, as some have claimed would be. “Political parties are a fact of life in the TCI, and I am certainly not looking to ban political parties,” she said, “Also, it is impossible to ban political parties. A modern democratic society allows people to form organizations, and political parties are part of that.” However, she said the party system could change if the electoral system changes as a result of the new arrangements. Some questions Sullivan is considering with regard to the electoral reform include:
Sullivan pointed out that some people had raised the idea of moving to a system similar to the one used in the BVI. She said she will be looking at the BVI as well as many other territories to find what she believes will be the best solution for the TCI. What has worked and not worked in other places in the world will play a role in Sullivan’s recommendations, as well as the views she collected on this round of meetings. “I found it very useful to get the different perspectives of people, particularly in some of the smaller islands. It is important that we take everybody’s views into account. I look forward to going back and talking to some of those people again later in the process. “I went around the islands to get people’s views on this process and people’s views on their constitution and the future structure of their government. I think people will see the results of this consultation when the proposals come out in July.” She will continue to accept written comments by e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by mail to P.O. Box 68, Grand Turk. “I know people have busy lives, but it is important to take the time to be involved in these processes,” she added. More opportunities will also be available to meet with Sullivan, as she will be conducting two more rounds of consultation later this year. Sullivan will be publishing her first round of recommendations at the end of July, after which there will be a short period of time for the public to evaluate and discuss the proposals. That will be followed by another round of country wide meetings to discuss the proposed changes, expected at the end of August. Then Sullivan plans to prepare a draft constitution order which she will again put out for public scrutiny before making her final recommendations to the U.K. by the end of the year. Working on the same time frame set out by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s office earlier this year, Sullivan expects the final constitution to be completed and signed off by the Queen in January of 2011. Sullivan says this will allow ample time to make all other necessary legislative changes and election preparations for elections to be held as promised in July 2011. Sullivan also encouraged people to read the 2006 Constitution. A link to the Constitution is on our Web site at fptci.com at the top of the page.
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teresting and very constructive,” constitutional advisor Kate Sullivan told the media June 11. “People feel very strongly about parts of their government and the structure of their government, which is important.”Related Articles
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