CONSTITUTION NOT MERE NOMINAL ONE: WALE TOLD PARLIAMENT
Hon. Matthew Wale. Photo credit: Solomon Islands Parliament.
Parliament Member for Aoke Langa Langa says the National Parliament must not treat the National Constitution as if it was a mere nominal constitution or a facade constitution.
Contributing on the debate on the Political Parties Integrity Bill yesterday, Honourable Mathew Wale says a nominal constitution is a collection of rules for institutions but does not restrain exercise of political powers in a given polity.
He explains, a facade constitution on the other is a trap constitution.
Mr Wale adds, it takes the appearance of a true constitution but in reality it is not true.
He says, in the case of the Political Parties Integrity Bill 2014, if the freedoms of individuals guaranteed in the Constitution are suppressed by the passage of the Bill by Parliament – the
Constitutional provisions in political parties’ constitutions will become just dead letters.
Mr wale’s view is that the two constitutional freedoms threatened by this Bill are the Freedom of Expression under Section 12 of the Constitution, and the Freedom of Assembly and Association under Section 13 of the Constitution.
The Political Parties Integrity Bill 2014 was passed last night after second reading.
It is set to go before the committee of the whole house tomorrow.