People’s Constitution Commission Continues Countrywide Tour

The People’s Constitution Commission has reported to have conducted hundreds of consultations and education forum across the country.  Today, a PCC team was at the Corozal Junior College (CJC) where they hosted an education forum.  The PCC Chairman, Anthony Chanona, was one of the presenters who broke down to the students, the importance of the constitution.

“There are what are called the other agencies in this constitution. The other agencies deal with other instruments, other methods that government uses to govern. And it has the Public Service Commission, it has the Security Service Commission, it has the Judicial Services Commission. So when we talk about governing is that the only other agencies that help us govern? Because one thing I don’t find in this constitution is any mention of local government. Whether it is city council? Whether it is town councils? Whether it is village councils? They are not mentioned in this constitution. Should they, as a part of our governance system be also in this constitution? That’s a discussion we have to have. And how do we define them? Because you know that we have two cities in this country and each one has their own act. The Belmopan City Council Act, Belize City Council Act, separate. The Town Council Act looks at all the towns. The Village Council Act looks at all the villages but all of them have their own? Does that cater towards some type of governance accountability and responsibility. So that’s discussion is this complete as a constitution? Accountability. Now this is an important part because when we talk about good governance, right? When we talk about transparency, when we talk about responsiveness to the people we have to look at the sections of this constitution that deal with accountability. And there are several areas that have been worked to make the constitution and the government a little more accountable. Like the creation of the Consolidated Revenue Fund. All money that government gets has to go to the Consolidated Revenue Fund and that Consolidated Revenue Fund is governed by certain important principles including the Belize Finance and Audit Reform Act that says government has to account for all the money it spends, it has to make a report. And anything it spends above a certain amount it has to get permission from the House representative. It has to take it to the House. Now we know in certain years there have been use of money that has not been accounted and government have tried to find ways of getting around those. And they have, governments have found ways around it. So then maybe what we need to do is address it even more fully so that they can’t find their ways around it.”  

Dr. Cesar Ross, the PCC’s Director, presented on the various arms of government, their role and functions in the day to day governance of the country.  In his power point, he spoke on the budget of the judiciary, the executive and the legislative.  He also spoke on several notable missing elements in the constitution.  In recent weeks, we have heard of the absence of the words, ‘press’ or ‘media’ or ‘freedom of the press’ in the constitution.  In that vein, Ross noted that there is also no mention of local government, town councils or city councils.  This, he says, is one of several reasons why there needs to be constitutional reform.