Ready to serve

A former attorney general, a trade unionist and teacher, a member of the clergy, a youth student advocate, a disabled rights advocate and attorneys-at-law are among the group of Barbadians on the Constitutional Reform Commission.

Ten members were sworn-in on Monday, by the Acting President, The Very Reverend Dr Jeffrey Gibson, before the Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw and Attorney General, Dale Marshall, during a ceremony at State House.

The Commissioners who will serve for the next 18 months are: Chairman and retired Justice Christopher Blackman; Senator Reverend Dr. John Rogers; Senator Gregory Nicholls, Former Attorney General, Adriel Brathwaite; President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union , Mary-Anne Redman; President of the Barbados Council for the Disabled, Kerryann Ifill; Muslim Chaplin at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus (UWI), Suleiman Bulbulia; businessman, Chris deCaires; Attorney-at-Law, Sade Jemmott, and student advocate, Khaleel Kothdiwala.

The 11th member, University of the West Indies lecturer, Cynthia Barrow-Giles, who will serve as Secretary, will be sworn-in tomorrow.

Mr. Marshall told the media that the Commissioners’ work would commence this Friday, after the official launch of the members to the public, and described today’s swearing-in as a milestone for the country.

He shared that attempts were made in the 1970s with the Cox Commission and its Constitutional Report to look at the island’s Constitution. Twenty-years later, in 1996, a similar exercise was undertaken, this time with the Forde Constitutional Report.

Acknowledging that much had changed in the island’s development, the Attorney General pointed out that with the island’s transition to a republic, a detailed review of the constitutional structure and mechanics were needed.

“There have been some critics in the press who have said that it has taken too long, but everyone knows of course that we had to deal with elections and we are still dealing with issues relating to COVID but that time has come.

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