Soapbox:

Constitutional conundrum

By Ammar Ali Hassan

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The government is approaching the constitution as if it were a legal matter, not an issue of immense national significance. But the constitution is more than a bundle of laws. It is an expression of our collective ideals and no regime should handle it as if it were an afterthought or a cosmetic measure.

I am disappointed that the public is not being consulted about the scope and significance of the changes and that the government is not engaging in a wide-ranging dialogue with the opposition. Yes, the government has talked to the opposition and some independent figures but it is not letting anyone participate in the drafting of the amendments.

The president took us by surprise when he decided to ask for 34 articles of the constitution to be changed. No one consulted the public over which articles required change and which were fine. Yet the opposition has many ideas of its own, as do civil rights groups, activists and the country's top legal brains. Some argue we need a new constitution altogether, not a patched-up one.

The amendments are designed to make us think of trees and miss the forest. We are focusing on secondary issues and forgetting Article 77. Then we get stabbed in the back with changes to Article 88 which undermine the judiciary's ability to supervise elections. Even worse, we are so busy talking politics we forget to read the small print. We have forgotten what matters because we lack the right political climate. We should have been discussing the accuracy of the phrasing, the spirit of the words and how successfully they express our national ideals. Instead we are engaged in political bickering. You know why we do it. It is because we do not trust the government.

This week's Soapbox speaker is director of the Middle East Centre for Research and Studies.