Barbadians have been called on to share their opinions and suggestions with the Parliamentary Reform Commission.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Reform Commission, Sir Richard Cheltenham, has given the assurance that “every viewpoint and school of thought will be considered” by his team, as he urged the public to “speak up and speak out”.
Sharing that the commission will also be consulting with the diaspora, Sir Richard stressed that “there is a place for every citizen” in this parliamentary reform process. He was speaking Thursday night, at the first town hall meeting of the Parliamentary Reform Commission, at the Barbados Workers’ Union, Solidarity House.
He told his audience that it was necessary to look at how Parliament could be made more inclusive, as women, for example, had traditionally been underrepresented in Parliament, especially in the House of Assembly.
“We have to consider how best more women can be encouraged to participate in politics. One view is to set gender quotas. Some countries have used that and used it quite successfully. Another view is to encourage the political parties to recruit more women as candidates and offer them support in the election.
“Some studies have suggested that women are not generally given safe seats by the political parties or given the same support as men. How can that be addressed if that obtains in Barbados?” he asked.
Sir Richard said there was a need to look at the range of interests represented by Independent Senators in the Upper House. He noted that currently, the President may appoint persons who represent religious, economic or social interests.
“The question we have to ask is should those categories be widened to include the elderly, the youth, the disabled, the LGBT community, [and] small business, while retaining the three interests which are represented today – social, economic and religious,” he added.
The Chairman suggested that one of the big issues will be ethics, transparency and accountability. He pointed out that the Integrity in Public Life Bill will be a big step towards addressing an issue which the public is rightly concerned about.
“But we must also look at a Code of Ethics for Parliamentarians generally, as well as the functioning of the Public Accounts Committee. That Committee has an important supervisory role with respect to public spending. But the Leader of the Opposition is the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
“At present, there is no Leader of the Opposition and there is no Chairman. The Committee is not able to meet. One question which arises is whether non-parliamentarians should be on the Committee,” Sir Richard stated.
The Parliamentary Reform Commission was established on May 8 this year and is due to present its report on findings and recommendations to the President by November 8, 2023. The next public session will be on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at the Christ Church Foundation School, Church Hill, Christ Church.