bahamiangoddess
07-14-08, - 02:34 PM
July 14th, 2008
Sir Arthur: Constitution Change Needed
By Kendea Jones
Former High Commissioner to the Court of St. James Arthur Foulkes said on Sunday that it is time for the constitution of The Bahamas to be amended.
Sir Arthur was a special guest on the Love 97 FM/JCNTV Jones and Company special edition programme "Framers of the Constitution" which aired Sunday.
Sir Arthur said claimed that The Bahamas has not realized the full potential of the country’s political system.
"I think that the political system is okay," he said. "One of the problems that I have is that I hear people complaining about this Westminister system. But I have said this so many occasions before - our system can do so much more and is capable of doing so much more than we use it for."
"We have to know what our rights are because the prime minister is not a dictator. The Constitution is set out very clear and it puts in place buffer zones. It puts a buffer between the Executive and the Judiciary."
Sir Arthur suggested that consultation between the government and the opposition should take place whenever appointments made within the public service.
"Consultation has to take place with regards to appointment of the chief justice, for instance. There is no guarantee that everybody is happy with a particular appointment," he said.
Sir Arthur said, "In our system of government, the buck ends with the elected representatives. If the judiciary goes to hell, politicians will get the blame."
He added that Bahamians should ensure that they know their laws and know their rights.
"There was a young lady who took a minister to court and won her case and got some money in The Bahamas," Sir Arthur said. "You have to know your rights. If you wrote a new system today, you will still have to openly educate people."
the government and the opposition.
Sir Arthur said he would like a constitution that has had its genesis in The Bahamas.
"I think we got a pretty good deal with our constitution," he said. I would like to see a few changes. No constitution is perfect, but I thought we got a very good constitution."
Sir Arthur: Constitution Change Needed
By Kendea Jones
Former High Commissioner to the Court of St. James Arthur Foulkes said on Sunday that it is time for the constitution of The Bahamas to be amended.
Sir Arthur was a special guest on the Love 97 FM/JCNTV Jones and Company special edition programme "Framers of the Constitution" which aired Sunday.
Sir Arthur said claimed that The Bahamas has not realized the full potential of the country’s political system.
"I think that the political system is okay," he said. "One of the problems that I have is that I hear people complaining about this Westminister system. But I have said this so many occasions before - our system can do so much more and is capable of doing so much more than we use it for."
"We have to know what our rights are because the prime minister is not a dictator. The Constitution is set out very clear and it puts in place buffer zones. It puts a buffer between the Executive and the Judiciary."
Sir Arthur suggested that consultation between the government and the opposition should take place whenever appointments made within the public service.
"Consultation has to take place with regards to appointment of the chief justice, for instance. There is no guarantee that everybody is happy with a particular appointment," he said.
Sir Arthur said, "In our system of government, the buck ends with the elected representatives. If the judiciary goes to hell, politicians will get the blame."
He added that Bahamians should ensure that they know their laws and know their rights.
"There was a young lady who took a minister to court and won her case and got some money in The Bahamas," Sir Arthur said. "You have to know your rights. If you wrote a new system today, you will still have to openly educate people."
the government and the opposition.
Sir Arthur said he would like a constitution that has had its genesis in The Bahamas.
"I think we got a pretty good deal with our constitution," he said. I would like to see a few changes. No constitution is perfect, but I thought we got a very good constitution."