Senator Lisa Shoman comments on the amended 9th Amendment

Turning back to the proposed ninth amendment to the constitution; since the modifications have been made to the bill, reaction is beginning to flow. Attorney and Senator Lisa Shoman appeared on this morning’s Open Your Eyes to discuss the changes to the bill that were agreed to by the government, the Evangelical Association of Churches and the Belize Council of Churches. Shoman says that the initial position of the council of churches has not been satisfied in the modified bill. She also says that the amended ninth would still give parliament unlimited power because of the new subsection that would be added to section two of the constitution.

Lisa Shoman, Attorney/Senator

Lisa Shoman

“When the churches came out with their press release in early August—I believe it was the eighth—their press release set out very, very cogently and clearly what their position was and the first and most important position that they saw was that they did not agree that any change to the constitution should give parliament unbridled power. That was their first concern; that the language contained in the bill, would give parliament the power to change things, even to change the preamble and they said look section sixty-eight says you have to make laws for the good order and government of Belize and if you have unbridled power and you can change anything, that is not for the peace, order and good government of Belize. We don’t believe that any constitutional amendment should be giving that kind of power to any parliament because we have to remember it’s not personal to this parliament; to any parliament. So that was the churches’ actual first point.  What government has removed, is what many believe to be the process part of the thing because when you look at what is left now, the new proposed section two (two) has not been touched. And that read along with what is left of section sixty-nine (nine), which is clause three in the bill really still says that there shall be no limitations, substantive or procedural on the power of the National Assembly to alter the constitution. They dropped the part that says the court can’t question it on any ground whatsoever and all of that. But it still makes the point that there is going to be, put into the hands of government, explicit unbridled power; once you follow the rules of section sixty-nine, yoh could change anything yoh want including taking out that thing about peace, order and good government, including taking out any section of the constitution.”