President advises Parliament on opposition’s absence

The President of Dominica, His Excellency Dr. Nicholas J.O Liverpool, has advised Government parliamentarians to take extra care in their deliberations at the House of Assembly in light of the absence of opposition members.

In his address to the opening of the House of Assembly this morning, President Liverpool said an additional burden is now on Government Parliamentarians because of the United Workers Party boycott.

According to H.E Liverpool, the opposition leader’s responsibilities allow for the prime minister to consult with him on national matters such as constitutional change, electoral reform, territorial integrity, environmental protection and climate change, and regional and sub-regional integration.

“However, if an occasion arises when a person is both qualified and willing to accept appointments as leader of the opposition, the constitution empowers the president to act in his own deliberate judgment on any matter in which he is required to act on the advice of, or after consultation with, the leader of the opposition,” he noted.

“Since there is no leader of the opposition and the elected members who do not support the Government have not yet taken their seats, this places an additional burden on you the honourable members here today to be scrupulous in your conduct of the proceedings of this chamber, and to always bear in mind that the population would expect of you an even greater sense of magnanimity, responsibility and good judgment than would otherwise prevail,” President Liverpool noted.

Meanwhile, the president addressed public concern that the DLP’s three quarters majority in Parliament may pose a potential risk to the Constitution. According to him, the issue was dealt with clearly and extensively in the report of the Constitutional Review Commission of February 1999.

That document states that a Bill to amend a relevant provision of the constitution cannot be passed in the House of Assembly unless supported by the votes of not less than two thirds of the elected members of the House. A Bill to be passed in the House should be read three times, according to the law.

“Additionally there must be an interval of not less than 90 days between the introduction of the Bill in the House and the beginning of the proceedings of the second reading of the Bill,” the President cited from the report.

He said other sections which protect many areas of the constitution are fundamental rights and freedoms, the institution of the presidency, the composition of Parliament, the electoral commission, the power of parliament to make laws, the method of enacting Bills to law and the frequency sessions of Parliament, among other areas.

President Liverpool also clarified that the Bill to amend must be supported by three quarters of elected members of the House of Assembly, and before the president signs the Bill it must be approved for referendum.

“It should be noted that the constitution itself was not subjected to ratification by the people of Dominica by way of referendum. It was a compact agreed by the acknowledged political representatives of the people acting on their behalf,” His Excellency stated.

“It is important that the passage of bills to amend the constitution should be made more difficult than the passage of ordinary bills. The constitution is the supreme law of the land, usually adopted after detailed discretion, and so serious consideration should be given before changes are made. For that reason special majorities are absolutely necessary. Also necessary is ensuring that a reasonable period elapses between the original presentation of the Bill and the start of the debate,” he explained.