By Kisean Joseph
Constitutional experts are welcoming the recent appointment of younger senators to Antigua and Barbuda’s Upper House of Parliament while calling for broader reforms to enhance the chamber’s effectiveness in national governance.
During a discussion on Observer Radio’s Big Issues yesterday, prominent attorney E Ann Henry KC commended the inclusion of younger voices in parliamentary decision-making, viewing it as an essential step toward modernising the nation’s governance.
“I think change is very good for our nation. New ideas come to the fore, new perspectives contend,” she said. “I have always felt that our decision-making ought to be driven by young persons who should be looking to the future, bringing new ways of doing things, new ideas, new initiatives, new learning to decision making in the country.”
However, both Henry and constitutional reform advocate and attorney, Ralph Bowen, emphasised that youth inclusion should be paired with technical expertise to maximise the Senate’s effectiveness.
“The Senate should be staffed with people who have core competencies in the desired areas of our democracy, of our economic, financial, national security, health, education, life – all of these pillars of our democracy,” Bowen explained.
The experts suggested reforming the appointment process, which currently allows the Prime Minister to appoint 10 of the 17 senators, with four appointed on the advice of the opposition, one independent, and two representing Barbuda.
Bowen proposed establishing specific qualifications for senators based on their professional expertise. “Perhaps we should have parameters as to the Senate being comprised of technical folks from various industries, various sectors of our economy to ensure that the type of intellectual representation that we’re expecting at the Senate level truly comes to fruition,” he said.
Henry supported this view, adding that the Senate’s role should extend beyond political considerations. “If we are going to have a Senate, the purpose for which is to introduce a different perspective into the lawmaking process, then it just can’t be simply an extension of a political agenda,” she stated.
Both experts highlighted the need for constitutional reform to implement meaningful changes to the Senate’s structure and function. The current Constitution, which has remained largely unchanged since the country gained Independence in 1981, was described by Henry as increasingly inadequate for modern governance needs.
“What nation has the same document governing it for 43 years?” Henry questioned. “We speak about our progress and our development and all that kind of thing when we are hamstrung by a document that is practically meaningless in a real sense.”
Bowen said, that reform efforts should focus on creating a Senate that can effectively contribute to national development through both fresh perspectives and technical expertise.
“The idea of the Senate is to have it being staffed by a group of people who are just truly technically capable who have the type of technical capacity to advance the discussion on bills, the common law in Antigua and Barbuda and ensuring that we have a statutory framework that represents the needs for a developing economy and a developing democracy.”
Both guests concluded that while the recent youth appointments represent positive change, broader reforms are necessary to create a more effective upper house. They suggested that any meaningful reform would require both political will and public demand for change.
