HOA wraps up closed-door talks on Constitution

The House of Assembly has concluded lengthy closed-door discussions that will determine the way forward in coming constitutional negotiations with the United Kingdom.

But the public will have to wait to read the HOA’s report on the matter.

Last Thursday morning, legislators returned from a series of private committee discussions that have extended across several closed-door meetings over the course of five months.

During that time, they have been debating which recommendations to accept from the 2022-2023 Constitutional Review Commission Report — and which recommendations they will reject or provide alternatives to.

Their decisions — which will chart the path for a constitutional negotiating team the premier is expected to appoint soon — will be made public in a report to be tabled in the HOA in the coming weeks.

Last Thursday morning, legislators returned from their latest round of closed-door talks on the matter, during which they spent three days last month reviewing a draft report on their decisions, according to the HOA.

Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley then moved a motion to defer the laying of the report in the House to “a subsequent time.”

Mr. Wheatley did not provide further details, but HOA Public Relations Officer Giovanni Herbert told the Beacon this week that the report “has not yet been finalised” but the aim is to have it laid in the House no later than March.

Public debate

Before House members first entered a closed-door committee session on the matter last September, they publicly debated the 288-page CRC Report, which was written by a committee after extensive public consultations across the territory.

During the public portion of the debate, which lasted six days, legislators spoke of their thoughts on the report’s 57 wide-ranging recommendations for reforming the 2007 Constitution.

Some recommendations were accepted wholeheartedly by members on both sides of the aisle, but others were called into question.

After the public debate, the HOA entered closed-door committee on Sept. 26 to continue discussing the report in private.

At the time, the HOA said its report was expected by the end of last year.

However, the private discussions instead continued up to last Thursday over the course of several committee meetings held outside the public view.

All told, members met for ten days in closed-door committee in September and October before picking back up last month and meeting privately for three more days, according to the HOA.

Transparency

The closed-door committee discussions came despite several members’ calls for a transparent constitutional debate.

Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn went further, saying last September that the committee session itself should be open.

“Even now when we are looking at this constitutional review in committee, it needs to be public, because this is a document that belongs to everybody,” he said on Sept. 22 while backing a CRC recommendation to make all HOA committee sessions public whenever possible. “Let us defy the odds: Make this committee public for the people, because it’s the people’s Constitution, and 13 people going to be in here in secret … saying what they want for themselves personally, what suits their agenda — and the people are excluded.”

The premier, however, defended the decision as a procedural matter.

“Committee sessions are not public,” he told the Beacon last September. “This is based on the Standing Orders. Hon. Walwyn is a part of the Standing Orders Committee. He can propose an amendment to the Standing Orders if he wishes to.”

Mr. Wheatley also noted that the HOA recently amended the Standing Orders in a way that allowed for committee discussions on tabled documents like the CRC report.

Next steps

In the coming weeks, the premier is expected to appoint members of a negotiating committee who will join CRC Chairwoman Lisa Penn-Lettsome in taking the final report into talks with the UK.