Dear Editor,
Voters in Chile last week overwhelmingly defeated by two to one a new draft constitution that would have replaced the 1980 Augusto Pinochet constitution. The Pinochet constitution favoured the military and the rightist parties after his September 11, 1973 coup that ousted democratically elected socialist Salvador Allende.
The 1980 Pinochet constitution was affirmed by the Chilean public that was under his authoritarian rule. Pinochet Chile constitution provided for a limited democracy. It was largely influenced by the American liberal economist Milton Friedman. Yes, an economist helped draft the Pinochet constitution.
As in Guyana around the year 2000, there were similar constitutional reforms in Chile in 2005 carried out by the Chilean Congress (parliament) rather than by the public. The people considered the changes inadequate and did not go far enough to empower the people. Power still resided in the President, party leaders, and Congress. Rings a bell regarding Guyana, doesn’t it — parliament made changes to the Burnham constitution without public consultation and approval and the President has powers like an absolute king. The Chilean people rebelled against the cosmetic changes in the constitution; Guyanese accepted cosmetic changes provided by their elected leaders and the parliament.
In Guyana, as in Chile, democratically aligned politicians, those who consistently and strenuously opposed the Pinochet constitution, committed to drafting a new constitution and put it up for a plebiscite. Unlike in Guyana, Chilean politicians actually did it. Never in Guyana’s history, have politicians ever put a proposed constitution up for a vote by the populace. Guyanese politicians tend to impose their will on the population. Burnham and the PNC foisted a constitution on the people in 1980 without their consent in a democratic plebiscite.
Cheddi Jagan and all opposition politicians from 1978 to 1992 committed to dumping the illegal Burnham constitution and replace it with a new one in which the people would play a major role in its drafting and the contents in it. They also committed to put up for a vote in a free and fair referendum. No politician, not even those from the WPA and AFC, ever introduced a bill to replace the fraudulent and illegal Burnham constitution of 1980. The public was angry unlike in Guyana where the public accept anything from their leaders. At least, Chilean politicians, unlike Guyanese politicians, honour a commitment to change the constitution in a free and fair referendum.
Guyana should follow the Chilean model on constitutional changes — elect a constitutional convention to draft a democratic constitution and let the people decide on it in a plebiscite. Politicians should not decide who will draft a constitution and what is good for the people. Empower the people to make those decisions!
Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram
