The Quest for Constitutional Reform in St Vincent and the Grenadines

• Author: Ralph Gonsalves
• Pages: 100-115

7 The Quest for Constitutional Reform

in St Vincent and the Grenadines

Ralph Gonsalves

Introduction

On November 25, 2009, the electorate in St Vincent and the

Grenadines rejected a reformed Constitution in a popular referendum

by a majority of 55 per cent to 45 per cent of the votes cast. The voter turn-

out was moderately high: roughly 65 per cent of the registered voters

from a voters’ list which contains about 30 per cent more eligible voters

than ought to be the case; this voter turn-out reflected a significant

popular interest in the constitutional reform exercise. My government

spearheaded the campaign in favour of the reformed Constitution;

the parliamentary opposition led the ‘NO’ campaign. Still, one year

later, the political party which I have the honour to lead was returned

to office in general elections for our third successive five-year term as

government, winning eight seats to the opposition’s seven.

The journey in this push for constitutional reform in St Vincent

and the Grenadines commenced on July 31, 2000, when my political

party, the Unity Labour Party (ULP) was in its final few months as the

opposition. Of course, the issue of constitutional reform was always

on the margins of public discourse since our existing Constitution was

proclaimed on Independence Day, October 27, 1979.

So, on July 31, 2000, the ULP, as the then parliamentary opposition,

formally launched a publication entitled, Constitutional Reform: A

Discussion. At that launch, as the ULP’s political leader, I pledged

that in government, we would pursue vigorously comprehensive,

democratic, and effective constitutional reform. In the ULP’s Election

Manifesto of 2001, this pledge was reaffirmed. Consequent upon

our party’s overwhelming election to government on March 28,

2001, we acted swiftly to put the appropriate policy framework and

relevant programmatic mechanisms in place to give effect to our

solemn electoral promise of democratic constitution re-making. I shall

highlight some of the signposts along my government’s journey on the

road of constitutional reform.

The Quest for Constitutional Reform 101

First, on October 8, 2002, the House of Assembly approved by

unanimous vote, a motion, moved by me as prime minister and seconded

in a bipartisan spirit by the Leader of the opposition, Arnhim Eustace, which

mandated a review of the Constitution of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Among other things, this motion called for the setting up of a broad-based

Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) consisting of 25 persons, and

alternates, representing the government, the opposition, civil society, and

Vincentians in the diaspora.

The CRC was officially inaugurated on February 10, 2003, in the hallowed

Chamber of our House of Assembly. The CRC was amply funded in its

work by the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and with

substantial assistance from the Organization of American States (OAS).

The CRC undertook extensive public consultations with Vincentians

at home and abroad, intensively, face-to-face and through the electronic

media over a five-year period up to June 2007. Thereafter, a nine-member

Constitutional Reform Steering Committee (CRSC) drove public discussion

up to Referendum Day in November 2009.

Throughout this entire period, several reports, interim and final, were

submitted by the CRC and CRSC to Parliament. Parliamentary debates on

the various submitted reports were held. Significantly, on July 17, 2007,

all-party unity on constitutional reform was again made manifest in the

House of Assembly when a motion moved by the prime minister and

seconded by the leader of the opposition, and unanimously passed:

i. mandated the appointment of the Committee of the Whole House

to hold further discussions with the CRSC on the Revised Final

Report on Constitutional Reform; and

ii. authorized the joint body (that is, the Committee of the Whole

House and the CRSC) to appoint a Committee of Draftspersons to

draft the proposed changes to the Constitution of St Vincent and the

Grenadines along the following guidelines:

a. A chairperson to be appointed by the Speaker of the House in

consultation with the prime minister, leader of the opposition

and the CRSC Chairman (Parnel Campbell, QC, former long-serving attorney-general in the NDP government);

b. Two members appointed by the Speaker, one on the

recommendation of the prime minister, and the other of the

leader of the opposition; and