Ex-assemblyman: Constitution reform committee waste of time

A FORMER NAR member of the Tobago House of Assembly has described the work of the Cabinet-appointed National Advisory Committee on Constitution Reform as “a waste of time.”

Max James, who once represented the Belle Garden district in the THA, said the committee’s work was “a mockery of our individualism and aspirations as citizens of Tobago.”

He spoke on April 11 during the committee’s public consultation on constitution reform at the Belle Garden Multipurpose Facility.

The committee, led by former speaker Barendra Sinanan, was set up on January 17 to formulate terms of reference for a national consultation on the issue.

Recommendations will be compiled into a working document for a national constitution conference in June.

The committee has already held four consultations in Trinidad.

Its fifth consultation, in Tobago, attracted a small turnout, which included THA Deputy Chief Secretary and Belle Garden/Glamorgan representative Dr Faith BYisrael, Innovative Democratic Alliance political leader Dr Denise Tsoiafatt Angus and economist Dr Vanus James.During the open forum, James told committee members Dr Terrence Farrell, Raye Sandy and Winston Rudder that he has been “struggling to make sense of this whole process.”

As it relates to Tobago, he suggested that the discussion should not have been held until there was a resolution to the autonomy bills that are currently before a parliamentary joint select committee.