The last time constitutional reform was actively considered in this country was in 2009, during the People’s National Movement (PNM) administration of the late prime minister Patrick Manning.
In all, 51 public consultations were held on the draft Constitution but the concept of an executive president, one of the key reforms proposed, was a major sticking point which eventually stalled the process.
No headway could be made after weeks and months of very contentious debate around the amount of power granted to an executive president, with some even claiming that the proposal was inspired by some unorthodox political aspirations on the part of Manning.
That reform process came to a complete halt for the 2010 general elections. Although the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led People’s Partnership administration that took power then promised to restart the process, those efforts didn’t get very far.
In the years since, there have been frequent calls for constitutional reform and now that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has put the issue back on the front burner, there is an opportunity for a thorough and, hopefully, objective examination of the T&T Constitution.
The Republican Constitution, introduced 48 years ago, transformed T&T from an independent nation and replaced Queen Elizabeth II as head of state with a quasi-ceremonial office of President.
It would be an understatement to say that T&T has outgrown the 1976 Constitution and a review is long overdue.
However, in restarting the process, the advisory committee appointed to formulate terms of reference for the national consultation does not have to work with a blank slate. Though incomplete, the work done by the Manning and Persad-Bissessar administrations should not be completely discarded, as they may include recommendations that are still relevant.
There is much to be considered by citizens, stakeholders and the diaspora pertaining to the presidency, the Judiciary, the relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and other aspects of the system of governance.
Few would dispute the fact that change is necessary to help this society to adapt to emerging circumstances.
T&T has largely remained faithful to the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. However, there is a widely held view that it is now time to revise institutions that have existed in this nation for at least two generations and which bear the strong stamp of our former colonial rulers.
In 1974, when amendments to the independence Constitution were being debated, some of the key recommendations included replacement of the existing parliament with a unicameral one and adoption of a proportional representation electoral system.
However, the government at the time was strongly opposed to the idea of proportional representation, and bicameralism and plurality voting were maintained when T&T became a republic.
With all the changes and challenges that this country has faced, the relevance and effectiveness of the current system of democracy will be in sharp focus.
More than likely, proportional representation, which had been advocated by the late former prime minister Basdeo Panday almost to his dying breath, will be high on the reform agenda, along with greater autonomy for Tobago, a vision first shared by another former prime minister, the late ANR Robinson, way back in 1977.
Let it be, however, that this time around, the process will be completed and will result in the constitutional reforms that are much-needed in 21st century T&T.