Blah! Constitution 101

The time has come where we maybe should stop stating the obvious and concentrate on fixing the problem. The confusing news every day gets me tired as it never ceases. The decisions and actions by both the government and the opposition are not taking us to a better place.
The poor people of Tobago suffering as they are and in the hallowed halls of officialdom its business as usual. We see this lazy attitude towards governance in many other instances. The taxpayers seem to be in a state of flux. Peoples lives have been turned upside down and they seem to think that it was God or someone else, definitely not the persons responsible, who have them in the current situation.
I cannot do this anymore. Writing about the most simple things that affect people and it's as though the expectations are too high. Example, the PMOTT says that the ferry never shutdown at sea, it just left 45 minutes late because of a mechanical problem. You see what I am talking about.

So, let us start the ideas flowing as to how do we initiate the fix. It is our responsibility as citizens to fix the system of governance and tell, insist, not just send a message, those who wish to offer themselves as people's representatives that this is how we want our country to be managed.

The Constitution:

There have been numerous consultations on a new Constitution, some going back many years, of more recent vintage are the Manning and the Kamla versions. In all of those documents there must be a way we can sift through the reports and decide what works for us.
We can ask that a Constitution Commission be appointed by the President to create a final document which will be presented to the people where the citizens will be educated and be in a position to understand what is before them.
The Parliament will take a unanimous vote on having the electorate vote in a binding Referendum on the approval of the country's new Constitution.
After the holding of the Referendum then the result will be presented to the Parliament who will then ratify the decision by the people. If a new Constitution is approved by the people then the next election in 2020 will be held under the new Constitution.

The reason for a Referendum is that for the first time in our history the people will decide. Of course the various political parties will have their say as will various interest groups. The discussion needs to be had and the people decide. Those who will say that the people are not ready for something like this just remember these are the same people you will be asking to vote for you come election day. 

Holding a Referendum is not rocket science. It can be organised and managed by the EBC. The wording of the referendum will be simple and not unlike a General Election you put your 'X' either by the 'YES' or by the 'NO'. 

• The permanent fix starts with a contract with the people that works in favour of not only the majority but the minority also.
• The permanent fix starts when you who have been given the responsibility to spend taxpayers money will be called to account for every five cents. 
• The permanent fix starts when the Parliament requests that you appear at a Committee meeting you find yourself there and account to the people.

We can continue to explore the different ways we can approach good governance. You do not have to be a lawyer to understand a contract with the people. That is probably the first thing we will demand. A document that the people can read and understand. 

There is an awful lot more to it but I think you understand where I am coming from. Those who want to play games and hide, shirk their responsibilities, will now have to, by law, deal with the real bosses, the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

Goodbye, finally, to the 1962 Colonial Office!

The news tonight was all the same blah blah blah.

Blah!