Yearwood claims CRC ‘ignored’ calls for change

Law Lecturer and former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) leader Dr Ronnie Yearwood has lambasted the recently released Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC) report, calling it a 300-page “missed opportunity” that fails to deliver meaningful political reform for Barbados.

From term limits for prime ministers to fixed election dates, Dr Yearwood argued the report neglects the “big-ticket items” Barbadians want, labelling it a “deeply disappointing” exercise.

But the CRC Chairman Christopher Blackman dismissed the criticisms, stating that the report reflects public submissions and aligns with Barbados’ parliamentary system.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Yearwood called the report “300 pages of missed opportunity”.

“I am deeply disappointed in what was produced by the CRC,” he said.

“What was the point of the CRC? Because if you’re going to come back with an entire report where [the response to] every major issue is, ‘Oh, we think it should stay the same,’ then why did you even bother?”

Among his sharpest criticisms were the absence of proposals for term limits for prime ministers and fixed dates for elections.

“No term limits for prime ministers? That’s something people in Barbados generally agree on. Prime ministers need term limits. We should not be running forever and ever,” he said.

He also lambasted the retention of the prime minister’s prerogative to call elections at will.

Dr Yearwood said: “The prime minister should not have that power to determine when we go to elections . . . to surprise people. Democracy is not a game. Give everybody a fair chance.”

He further raised concerns about the lack of lawsuit protection for the auditor general, calling it a critical oversight.

He said: “The auditor general needs protection from lawsuits . . . . Why is Parliament interfering with the process of the auditor general? One of the recommendations I made ages ago was for an independent funding body so the auditor general does not have to go to Parliament or ministers for their money. Otherwise, what is the point?”

The politician also listed the omission of overseas voting provisions as another sticking point: “Overseas voting, again, big disappointment. Oh, it’s a complicated system. So what?”

“We’ve had a university in Barbados for 60-something years. And you’re telling me that we can’t come up with a system to facilitate Barbadian students overseas to vote? This is utter nonsense.”

While acknowledging some positive developments, such as the inclusion of quotas to ensure gender parity in the Senate and an expansion of rights, including recognition of sexual orientation, he argued that the CRC failed to address the “big-ticket items” Barbadians care about.

He said: “All of the big-ticket issues that Barbadians have for a long time (been) talked about remain the same. There’s no need for [the commission]. The existing Constitution already had a formula for consultation and a detailed process. Another commission to do what? There is nothing in there that modernises the Barbadian political structure. It’s just more of the same.”

Dr Yearwood also criticised what he described as the lack of public engagement during the CRC’s consultation process, calling it a failure to connect with ordinary Barbadians.

He declared: “If you really want to engage people, step down and meet them where they are. Have a moment where we can all come together and hammer this out. Let people feel that they own the process.”

He warned that the failure to deliver meaningful reforms could worsen voter apathy: “Voter apathy is there because people don’t feel that this is important or that they’re part of anything. And that’s what the CRC is pretty much saying — your vote does not matter . . . all the things that you wanted . . . we’ve dismissed them.”

Summing up his views on the commission’s report, Yearwood said: “What they’ve delivered is not reform. It’s just more of the same. And that’s what disappoints me so much about this report.”

But the commission’s chairman pushed back on the former DLP leader’s claims, noting that the bulk of his concerns were not reflected on a public level during the CRC’s process.

Blackman said: “There was no overwhelming submission from the public for these things and in any event, who says that’s not what Barbados wants?

“If we got one submission about term limits and the likes, we got a lot.”

He further noted that implementing term limits for prime ministers would be incompatible with the country’s parliamentary system, where the prime minister is not directly elected by the public.

The former high court judge said: “The reality is, once you have a parliamentary system of government, you cannot put a term limit on a prime minister. It’s not like when they are running for presidency of the United States. You cannot put a term limit where the individual is running for a particular office.”

Addressing voting among the diaspora, he noted that consultations revealed generational divides among overseas Barbadians: “It became very apparent from our meetings that they themselves did not know what they wanted or how they wanted it,” he said.”

Blackman defended the public consultation process, stating: “We’ve met with all the town halls . . . and all the political parties.”

He stood by the report’s recommendations, adding: “I don’t recall the DLP, under Yearwood’s leadership, submitting proposals on the issues he now raises.”

shanamoore@barbadostoday.bb