In the year that has passed since we last celebrated our anniversary of Independence, a number of separate but related events have occurred, both at home and abroad – which ought to have stirred our national imagination.
The untimely death of our much loved Prime Minister David Thompson and the installation of new Prime Minister Freundel Stuart in late October were the first in a series of events that challenged us to reflect on our framework of Government. And earlier this month, our Governor General Sir Clifford Husbands stepped down after 15 years of dignified service.
Between these two momentous events, we have had the popular uprisings in the Middle Eastern countries in which the people, long governed by some of the harshest dictatorships of any era, demonstrated that in reality constitutional and political power does not come out of the barrel of a gun, but from the expression of the collective will of the people.
During the first half of this year we debated the appointment of a Chief Justice. Also, the length of time it takes for some matters to be completed in our judicial system challenged us to find ways of expediting trials, so as to lessen remand by accused people.
As we approach another birthday, it is clear that many events touching and concerning our daily lives are directly related to the Constitution that we declared in 1966.
We declared this document after many centuries of oppression of colonialism, and it ought to be regarded as the foundation document that grounds our freedom and guarantees our rights.
The catalogue of events mentioned earlier ought to be enough to galvanize us into action, so that, as a priority for example, our schools might pay greater attention to a structured course in civics. Last week, Deputy Speaker Kenneth Best hosted a trip to Parliament by schoolchildren from his constituency, because he thought that they should be aware of such happenings.
We applaud him, but more needs to be done. A single visit, surely a series of visits, will kindle some interest, but will not sufficiently arm citizens with the basic information they need.
The ardent cricket fan is a constructive critic of the game, because he knows the rules and understands the intricacies of the sport. The citizen is not so informed!
Still, a curriculum for schools will not itself be enough. Public service programmes on television and radio must form part of any serious discussion on wider and much needed public education on our Constitution and what it means.
If the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, and if the people are the ultimate source of power, then they ought to be aware of the terms and conditions on which they temporarily cede power every five years to those elected to govern.
The time is ripe for a non-partisan approach to public education on our system of constitutional governance.
It would be the ideal birthday gift to ourselves!
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