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Constitutional Reforms

Constitutional Reforms. Neo-Magna Carta. The State. Today the State is one of the vital sovereign institutions amongst several social institutions which organizes a group of people in a certain area of land, governs them, and promotes their welfare and oversees their good. Constitution.

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Constitutional Reforms

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  1. Constitutional Reforms Neo-Magna Carta

  2. The State • Today the State is one of the vital sovereign institutions amongst several social institutions which organizes a group of people in a certain area of land, governs them, and promotes their welfare and oversees their good.

  3. Constitution • Accumulation of power is dangerous if it is not guided by some rules and basic principles. • The guide book in which all such rules, regulations and principles for the proper conduct of a State are codified is called a constitution. • A constitution guides a State with high-level policies and principles to render all-round services to the people for their rapid progress.

  4. Difference amongst constitutions:British • There is no British constitution - it is a collection of traditions and conventions and not a written document. The theoretical head is the Crown - Queen or King. • When there is no Ministry in Britain a lameduck Ministry is formed by the Crown and the Crown can see to the head of that Ministry until a new Parliament is elected.

  5. Difference amongst constitutions:French • The French system is a Presidential form of government where the President appoints the Prime Minister and all other Ministers.

  6. Difference amongst constitutions:U.S.A. • In the USA there is a written constitution. The President is directly elected by the electorate. • The President rules the country through secretaries appointed by him (or perhaps one day, her). • The presidential form of government of the USA is a better form of government – but what is the shortcoming in the USA constitution?

  7. Difference amongst constitutions:U.S.A. • In the USA constitution it is individual rights that are given maximum scope, this leads to an unrestrained capitalist order. • In the USA constitution purchasing power is not guaranteed to the people – the collective will to see to the all-round welfare of all, is missing.

  8. Difference amongst constitutions:India • In India the President has no power and is only a signatory authority or rubber stamp. • The Indian President cannot even head a caretaker government. • The Indian Prime Minister can remove the President, but the President cannot remove the Prime Minister.

  9. Difference amongst constitutions:India • In India now there is also maximum scope of individual rights, this leads to an unrestrained capitalist order. • And this is also leading to regionalism.

  10. Common constitutional defects (1-5) • There is no check on unbarred capitalist exploitation. There needs to be economic sentiment and movement of the people. Capitalist political liberty is not economic freedom. As a result, unbarred economic exploitation continues today. • There is no guarantee for increasing the purchasing capacity of every individual. • There is no constitutional power to check financial or fiscal matters. The economy is controlled by business interests. There needs to be checks on price levels and the degree of exploitation. • There is no provision for inter-block planning for socio-economic development. • There is no clear concept of balanced economy.

  11. Psychological loopholes in constitutions (1) • Imposition of a regional language as the national language. • The selection of one regional language as the official language adversely affects the psychology of people who speak other languages - they are relegated to 'B class' citizens. • No regional languages should be selected as an official language in a multi-national, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country.

  12. Psychological loopholes in constitutions (2) • Disparities in the law. • All are equal in the eye of the law, but in practice, this principle is not followed, and as a result disparity grows in the arena of law and justice. • Such disparity adversely affects the different groups of people in a country. For example, disparities between Hindu Code and Muslim Code in India. • Let there be only one Code of Law which is based on cardinal human values, with a universal approach and neo-humanistic spirit. • Then only equality before the law can be established in practice, and equal protection of the law for all can be guaranteed.

  13. Psychological loopholes in constitutions (3) • There is no law against the indiscriminate destruction of flora and fauna due to the absence of neo-humanistic sentiment. • In the Cosmic Family, humans, animals, plants, and inanimate objects exist together and maintain a harmonious balance. • However, human beings, because of their superior intellect, are indiscriminately destroying plants and animals for their own narrow, selfish ends. • A constitution needs to have provision for the safeguard of plants and animals.

  14. Psychological loopholes in constitutions (4) • The relation between the centre and the states in a confederation should be clearly defined in the constitution. • Otherwise, there will be centre-state conflict (strain and pressure) and the whole country will be psychologically affected. • Among all other aspects of this relation two important aspects should be clearly defined: • the right of self-determination; and • the right of secession of a particular component of the confederation.

  15. Psychological loopholes in constitutions (5) • There are no clear definitions of those disadvantaged communities for whom special measures need to be taken and given, e.g. Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes in India. • A wrong basis of racial consideration and unscientific approach should be replaced with a basis on economic backwardness and educational backwardness.

  16. Common constitutional defects • Everyone has the right to physical, mental and spiritual development. • But all constitutions have been written in such a way that they do not ensure the all-round welfare of all citizens. • Bias towards any particular ethnic, linguistic or religious group undermines the unity and solidarity of a country and thus disturbs the peace and prosperity of the society as a whole.

  17. Constitutional reforms • When thinking for the welfare of all, there comes a point when it can be considered that excessive individual freedom cannot be consistent with social harmony. • Those excesses, e.g. drugs, gambling, should be curtailed in an ideal form of government. • Social controls are required so that collective interests, e.g. safety of life and educational development, will be supreme.

  18. Constitutional reforms- civil rights • Equal rights: • All citizens must have equal rights before the law. • Physical requirements are to be equally considered for all citizens, so that all citizens will have equilibrium and equipoise in collective life. • A case against the President and/or Prime Minister: • A case may be filed in the Supreme Court against any person in the country including the President and/or Prime Minister, because every citizen in the country is equal before the constitution.

  19. Constitutional reforms- civil rights • The law and the constitution should be the same: • The law and the constitution should be the same for the entire country, as each and every individual is equal before the law and before the constitution. • According to the constitution, each and every person in each and every part of the country will enjoy the same powers: • Special rights or facilities should not be allowed, e.g. a Kashmiri goes to West Bengal and purchase land, a house, etc, but a Bengali in Kashmir cannot enjoy that facility - this kind of discrimination must end.

  20. Constitutional reforms- social • Education: • Primary education for all must be guaranteed. • Education should be free from all political interference. • Language: • All living languages of a country must have equal status before the State or the government.

  21. Constitutional reforms- political • The right of self-determination and plebiscite: • The right of self-determination for a part of the country may be recognized only on the basis of a plebiscite held in that area with the permission of the Legislature/Parliament functioning as a constituent assembly (i.e. like a body for constitutional change). • If the plebiscite is to be held, it should be held under the strict control and supervision of the central government by the Chief Election Commissioner of the country.

  22. Constitutional reforms- economic • Review board: • To review economic progress and development of different parts of the country, a high-level Review Board should be constituted by the President. • If there is any difference between the Executive/Ministry and the Review Board, the President must act according to the advice of the Legislature/Parliament. • And if there is any difference between the Legislature/Parliament and the Review Board, the President should seek advice from the Supreme Court of the country and act according to their official advice, according to the provisions of the constitution.

  23. Constitutional reforms – government Dissolution of the Ministry/Cabinet or Legislature/Parliament: • The President may discharge the Ministry/Cabinet or dissolve the Legislature/Parliament only under certain circumstances: • in case of inimical action within the country; • in case of disorder or the breakdown of law and order; • in case of external inimical activity; • when the Ministry/Cabinet only represents a minority compared to that in the Legislature/Parliament, but: • the President has to explain the reasons for his or her actions before the Legislature/Parliament within 1 month from the day of taking such action; and • if the Legislature/Parliament is already dissolved, the President will have to arrange a general election within 6 months and explain the position before the newly elected Legislature/Parliament within 1 month of the election. Period of emergency: • The President may call a period of emergency with the approval of the Legislature/Parliament for a period of 6 months, and with further approval of the Legislature/Parliament may continue a period of emergency for not more that 2 years.

  24. Constitutional reforms – government Advice of a lame duck Ministry/Cabinet: • The President may or may not act on the advice of a lame duck Ministry/Cabinet. • If the advice of a lame duck Ministry/Cabinet is not honoured by the President, then the Legislature/Parliament will be dissolved. • A new Legislature/Parliament will have to be formed through a general election, and the President will have to explain his or her position before the new Legislature/Parliament within 1 month of its formation. The power of the President to issue any statement: • The President must not issue any statement under normal conditions without consulting the Legislature/Parliament or the Prime Minister/Leader of the House. • In normal conditions when there is a Ministry/Cabinet, the President will have to act according to the advice of the Ministry/Cabinet. • In case the Ministry/Cabinet is dissolved, the President will have to act according to the advice of the Legislature/Parliament.

  25. Constitutional reforms – government Parliament in the role of constituent assembly: • The Parliament will play the role of constituent assembly (i.e. a body elected with the purpose of drafting, and in some cases, adopting a constitution) only with a majority of 7/8 of the members, because changing the constitution at regular intervals reduces the status of the constitution. Moral standard and character of the President and Prime Minister: • The President or Prime Minister must be of high moral character. • E.g., in office, the President or Prime Minister must not divorce his or her spouse, marry a divorcee (as a result of an affair), or have more than one spouse.

  26. Magna Carta • Magna Carta was the charter drawn up by English barons and presented to the King in 1215. The great mass of the people, the villains, had little interests in it. • It contained nothing revolutionary except the provisions to create a controlling council of 25 barons.

  27. Magna Carta • It did not guarantee liberty to all English people, but in a latter period of the Stuart kings the English people became ‘free men’ because some of the clauses of the Magna Carta were given a newer and wider meaning and were invoked against the Crown.

  28. Neo-Magna Carta • Neo-Magna Carta is based on Cosmic sentiment – that which binds us to the entire creation and all its myriad diversities. • Unity In Diversity

  29. Charter of Rights 1, 2, 3 (i, ii, iii, iv) • Complete security should be guaranteed to all the plants and animals on the planet. • Each country must guarantee purchasing power to all its citizens. • The constitution should guarantee four fundamental rights: • spiritual practice or dharma; • cultural legacy; • education; • indigenous linguistic expression.

  30. Neo-Magna Carta • If the practice of any of these rights conflicts with cardinal human values, then the practice has to be immediately curtailed, e.g. female circumcision is to be banned. • That is, cardinal human values must take precedence over all other rights.

  31. Cardinal human values • Cardinal human values include liberty, equality, fraternity and treating each human being as a divine expression. • Their resulting expressions are sympathy, compassion, love for the lives of others, fundamental respect for the inherent divinity of all created beings, and universal outlook. • These are more important than social values such as efficiency and productivity.

  32. Neo-Magna Carta • Neo-Magna Carta is far more developed, neo-humanistic, universal and progressive than the old one. • This adds new dimension to the history of humankind and paves the way to peace, prosperity and perfection for the human race.

  33. Neo-Magna Carta • In the near future a world Government will be formed. • We will have World-Constitution. • The points in the Neo-Magna Carta can be one of the major contributors and corner-stones of the Constitution.

  34. Neo-Magna Carta • Before that, the more it is accepted, introduced and practiced by larger number of so-called Nation-States; the better will be the future prospect of the human race.

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