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New Political Culture To Emerge from Reforms

Constitution Reform Commission Report.

TODAY, we publish the final Chapter of the Constitution Reform Commission report, Chapter Thirteen which deals with “THE NEW CONSTITUTION AND ITS EFECT ON POLITICAL CULTURE”:

Chapter 13
With the introduction of a new constitution for Saint Lucia, the major paradigm shift is one that moves away from the parliamentary model towards the presidential model but stops mid-way between the two. This represents a fundamental departure from the approach that was adopted at Marlborough House in 1978.

At Marlborough House, the approach was one of making piecemeal changes to the 1967 Constitution so that there was a continuation of a particular type of evolution along a continuum that would end at the parliamentary model.

The enactment of Statutory Instrument No. 50, 2004 gave a different mandate to the Constitutional

Reform Commission of Saint Lucia. The Commission was asked to:
1) “promote a meaningful expansion and widening of democratic participation by citizens in Government;
2) address possible weaknesses in the Constitutional framework which political practice has highlighted over the years;
3) re-fashion the Constitution so that it better accords with our changing social and political circumstances; and
4) promote better governance and greater equity in the constitutional framework generally.”

It is hoped that the recommendations that the Commission have made will ultimately achieve those objectives. However, the change that will overcome the political culture of Saint Lucia if these constitutional proposals are accepted must be understood.

The creation of a parliamentary-presidential hybrid represents a further evolutionary step along the road of development. The political experiences of the post-independence period have left many Saint Lucians wondering about the functioning of their Constitution and the implications for their democracy.

The political turmoil of the 1979-82 period, the political uncertainties associated with two general elections in April 1987, the political succession101 and retirement of John Compton in 1996 and his return to power in 2006 and his death in 2007 constitute what politics is all about. The reality is that Saint Lucia needs to enjoy prolonged political stability with a new political culture that will transform the zero-sum game of the Westminster-style model into a culture of scrutiny, transparency and oversight.

The challenges of hybridization present an opportunity to make real political changes that will require political parties to change the way they operate and force their nominees to observe standards of ethics and probity that the current system takes for granted.

The enhanced political responsibility that will be placed in the hands of the parliamentarians as committee members in a new parliament will force the system to accept different standards of political behaviour that are higher than those which currently exist.

There are too many people who complain about the process, but when faced with the real prospect of change, shy away to the safe corner of the parliamentary system with which they are familiar. Who will dare to change the way that political business is done and embrace it for all it is worth? Further, the forces of regionalism are not as strong as they should be. The Caribbean Court of Justice is the living proof of that. What is it that some politicians and some people fear the most about the Caribbean Court of Justice? This is where the debate needs to go as only Barbados,

Belize and Guyana have made the step to embrace the Court as the replacement for the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

The way to handle this is to try to understand the fear and not to get angry. There is a kind of unease among some politicians and people that needs to be explained and allayed. If this does not happen, the possibility of a counter-movement against the Court could emerge. Since 2005 there have only been three countries which have taken that step. St. Vincent and the Grenadines tried in 2009 but their bid failed at the referendum on the Constitution.

Saint Lucia has come through the ravages of Hurricane Tomàs which have exposed many weaknesses of Government systems, but none of human spirit. The resolve of the Saint Lucian people will always shine through, but their political will to make these changes and to demand them of their leaders will now be tested.

The media have an important role to play in making this quantum leap from a parliamentary system to the proposed hybrid. Linear thinking will not advance this cause very much. The challenge here is to engage these reforms on the basis of critical thinking so that the frequent criticisms of the existing system are not converted into defence mechanisms on how to keep the status quo or to analyse what is being proposed here by reference to the way that political business has been transacted for more than thirty years. A new framework of thought and analysis is required.

If accepted, Saint Lucia will face a new dawn of political responsibility and accountability for which it has yearned. The maturity of the politicians will be tested in their own consideration of this document which is the product of almost five years of hard work and widespread consultation bothat home and in the Diaspora.

It is anticipated that a new political culture will emerge out of these proposed reforms. The excesses of the Westminster-style system that concentrates power in the hands of the PrimeMinister is expected to be a thing of the past. So many people have been influenced by theWashington model that their sensitivity and yearning for reform have naturally taken them to that model.

This phenomenon can only be explained by the fact that people have been observing political events and theorising in their minds about how such a system could work in Saint Lucia. This has been prompted by many events, including but not limited to, the “crossing of the floor” by Neville Cenac in 1987, the succession of Dr. Vaughan Lewis as Prime Minister in 1996, the dismissal of Sarah Flood-Beaubrun in 2005, the death of Sir John Compton in 2007 as well as the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States of America in 2008 whose election has electrified the political interest of many average citizens in the workings of our system of Government. The fact that so many persons proposed reforms along those lines is revealing in its own right. As a Commission, we listened and we debated. The end product is now before you for your consideration.

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