Submission 95

Sent: Monday, March 6, 2023
To: ConstitutionalReform
Subject: Constitutional Reform suggestions

Dear Sirs
Please see some comments for consideration in the ongoing Constitutional Reform process.

Only persons holding Barbadian citizenship should be allowed to vote in general elections/by-élections.

Barbadians in the Diaspora should be allowed to vote in general elections. Voting online should be among the options.
General elections should have a set date - every five years -

Members of Parliament who cross the floor should trigger an automatic by-election in that particular constituency ( if the populace wants them or the party they purported to represent)

There should always be a Leader of the Opposition. They should be chosen from the political party which secures the second highest number of ballots. (Or a run off among the opposition parties).

The Office of Leader of the Opposition needs more power than the current Public Accounts Committee. It should be able to vote in favour or against the policies of the government of the day without fear of seeming partisan.

The Speaker of the House of Assembly should be chosen separately - not from among the Members of Parliament of the political party holding the most seats in order to ensure impartiality.

You should vote separately for the head of the political party ( who becomes Prime Minister) and those running on the ticket of that party.

Term limits should be set on all Members of Parliament to no more than three terms (which may not necessarily be consecutive)

The number of constituencies should be reduced. It is a drain on the Public purse. It should be an odd number to avoid the possibility of a hung Parliament. Remove the last three created St. James Central, St. Philip West.

Some of the current constituency boundaries need redrawing - for e.g those persons living in St. Andrew and St. Thomas should only be voting in those parishes. The same would apply to St. Lucy, St. Peter and St. Joseph. The preliminary data from the 2020 census shows population density and a declining population.

Kind regards,