By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
ARTHUR CHUNG CONFERENCE CENTRE, LILIENDAAL — Guyana’s current supreme law is deeply tethered to an obsolete colonial framework and must be replaced by an authentic, modern “People’s Constitution.”
These arguments formed the central demand of prominent trade unionists, reparations advocates, and civic representatives on Tuesday during the Ethnic Relations Commission’s (ERC) public consultation on Constitutional Reform at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
Speakers argued that sixty years after gaining independence on May 26, 1966, the nation cannot continue to govern its modern, multi-ethnic society using constitutional structures engineered by British colonial authorities to maintain external control.
The forum also took a contentious turn when members of the public directly challenged the institutional neutrality and political independence of the Ethnic Relations Commission itself.
Trade Union Veteran Carvil Duncan: ‘Break Free from Colonial Relics’
Speaking in his capacity as a concerned citizen, Carvil Duncan, Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), delivered an impassioned critique of the country’s existing legal architecture:
- Rejecting Imposed Frameworks: Duncan contended that the foundation of Guyana’s supreme law remains entrenched in pre-independence colonial statutes that were never designed to serve a self-determining republic.
- Reflecting the National Trajectory: The veteran trade unionist argued that genuine national sovereignty requires discarding provisions that no longer reflect the social, economic, and technological realities of modern Guyanese life.
- The Call for a Homegrown Document: Duncan insisted that piecemeal amendments are insufficient, advocating instead for the drafting of an entirely new charter written by and for the people of Guyana.
“What we need is a constitution for Guyana, not a constitution given to Guyana to control Guyana,” Duncan asserted.
“We need to have a people’s constitution that take in account where we were and where we are going… We must ask ourselves what we can do for Guyana, and the only way we can answer that is to produce a constitution that will govern Guyanese.”
Dr. Eric Phillips: ‘Scrap the Constitution’
Echoing the call for radical structural change, Dr. Eric Phillips, Chairman of the Guyana Reparations Committee, offered a blunt assessment of the legal document:
- Ending Constitutional Controversies: Dr. Phillips told the consultation that the persistent political impasses and governance disputes that have plagued the country stem directly from fatal ambiguities within the supreme law itself.
- Scrapping vs. Modifying: Rather than continuing decades of superficial amendments, Phillips urged stakeholders to consider replacing the framework entirely to resolve foundational controversies.
“Scrap the constitution, modify it, controversies of our constitution…” Dr. Phillips declared, highlighting that the nation cannot achieve structural equity under an unstable legal base.
Floor Backlash: Participants Challenge ERC’s Political Independence
The proceedings grew heated when members of the audience turned their scrutiny onto the Ethnic Relations Commission, openly questioning whether the constitutional body possesses the independence required to lead national reform consultations:
- Concerns Over Political Bias: Participants voiced alarm that individuals serving within the ERC have openly demonstrated political alignments, compromising public confidence in the commission’s statutory mandate to act as an impartial mediator.
- Trust Deficit and Executive Crossover: One floor participant directly addressed past leadership crossover between the autonomous commission and the executive branch, arguing that when former commission heads transition directly into ministerial appointments, it damages citizen trust in the body’s impartiality.
“We have people within the ERC who claims to represents us but are aligning to political parties publicly,” an attendee stated from the floor.
“We have a sitting minister who was heading ERC which have been autonomous and turn to politics, which brings me back to trust.”
The Ethnic Relations Commission noted that all verbal submissions, written recommendations, and public critiques delivered during the sessions are being cataloged for submission to the parliamentary and national constitutional reform bodies.
