Should constitutions cause contention?
Published:Thursday | January 10, 2019 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
A country's constitution, like so many sources of information (like the Bible and the Koran), is open to various interpretations and even misinterpretations because people usually don't argue objectively.
In relation to misinterpretations, whenever people hold firmly to a wrong position, they either think they are right or have the right to be wrong.
It cannot be overemphasised that a leader elected by free and fair elections is no guarantee that he or she will be democratic. History has repeatedly shown that after the overthrow of a legitimate government, among the first strategic measures implemented are control and censorship of the media and the abolition or suspension of the constitution.
It, therefore, follows that a very reliable indicator of the democratic, dictatorial, or autocratic mindset of any president, prime minister, opposition leader, or any politician is his attitude to the press and the constitution and the adherence to, or disregard for, well-established guidelines or protocols and deeply entrenched traditions.
Am I misguided? Well, we shall see what we will see.
DAIVE R. FACEY