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Showing posts from January 19, 2010

WHO SHOULD WRITE A CONSTITUTION?

< WHO SHOULD WRITE A CONSTITUTION? By Rawlings Magede A Constitution is in simple terms and its most fundamental level, a society’s decision-making rule book which has some temporal continuity. But how do we decide who writes the book? If an elite group determines the fundamental rights which are an essential component of democracy, they face the charge of being undemocratic. If it’s left to the majority to determine these rights, the majority, might in its own self self-interest exclude a norm, such as that of equality, which by some international standards is regarded as an essential component of democracy. A Constitution provides a society with a vision for the future. It is a guiding document containing principles that limit the state power and protect people’s liberties and rights. It is a supreme law that provides for an open and free society bas