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Public Participation in Constitution-Making

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Public Participation in Constitution-Making Public Participation in Constitution-making: The Pacific Islands Katy Le Roy FOR REFERENCE ONLY— NOT FOR CITATION 2011 INTERPEACE/IDEA REGIONAL STUDY ON CONSTITUTION BUILDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN CONSTITUTION MAKING: THE PACIFIC ISLANDS 1. Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 1 2. Case Studies ................................................................................................................................. 3 PAPUA NEW GUINEA ............................................................................................................ 3 Background ...................................................................................................................... 3 Conditions leading to constitutional reform ...................................................................... 3 Structure of the constitution making process ................................................................... 5 Public participation in the process ................................................................................... 8 Preparation for dialogue or consultations ........................................................................ 9 Consultations ................................................................................................................. 10 Impact of public participation ......................................................................................... 13 FIJI ......................................................................................................................................... 14 Background .................................................................................................................... 14 Conditions leading to constitutional reform .................................................................... 14 Structure of the constitution making process ................................................................. 15 Public participation in the process ................................................................................. 17 Preparation for dialogue or consultations ...................................................................... 17 Consultations ................................................................................................................. 17 Impact of public participation ......................................................................................... 18 Postscript ....................................................................................................................... 18 BOUGAINVILLE .................................................................................................................... 21 Background .................................................................................................................... 21 Conditions leading to constitutional reform .................................................................... 21 Structure of the constitution making process ................................................................. 21 Public participation in the process ................................................................................. 26 Preparation for dialogue or consultations ...................................................................... 23 Consultations ................................................................................................................. 24 Impact of public participation ......................................................................................... 26 SOLOMON ISLANDS ............................................................................................................ 26 Background .................................................................................................................... 26 Conditions leading to constitutional reform .................................................................... 27 Structure of the constitution making process ................................................................. 27 Public participation in the process ................................................................................. 33 Preparation for dialogue or consultations ...................................................................... 34 Consultations ................................................................................................................. 35 Impact of public participation ......................................................................................... 36 NAURU .................................................................................................................................. 37 Background .................................................................................................................... 37 Conditions leading to constitutional reform .................................................................... 37 Structure of the constitution making process ................................................................. 38 Public participation in the process ................................................................................. 41 Preparation for dialogue or consultations ...................................................................... 41 Consultations ................................................................................................................. 42 Impact of public participation ......................................................................................... 44 3. Comparative Analysis and Conclusions .................................................................................. 45 INTERPEACE/IDEA REGIONAL STUDY ON CONSTITUTION BUILDING ∗ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN CONSTITUTION MAKING: THE PACIFIC ISLANDS Katy Le Roy 1. Executive Summary The purpose of this paper is to examine constitution building episodes in five different locations within the Pacific region, and to draw from these case studies observations and lessons that might be useful in guiding the design of future constitution building processes. Consistent with this purpose, the paper aims to provide as much detail as possible about how public participation has been included in these processes, how and by whom it has been conducted, and what impact it has had. The five case studies selected for this paper are (in chronological order from the date on which the constitution building exercises began) Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Nauru. The case studies span a period of more than 35 years, from 1974 to the present day. They range from the building of an independence constitution (Papua New Guinea), to attempts to create new, post-independence constitutions (Fiji and Solomon Islands), from extensive review and amendment of an existing independence constitution (Nauru) to a constitution for an autonomous region within a nation state as a prelude to the possibility of full independence (Bougainville). The case studies have been selected because they have each featured an attempt to include public participation in the constitution building process, each to different extents and in different ways. The five jurisdictions also have many politico-legal features in common: each, except Bougainville, is a former colonial possession that has gained independence within the last half-century and adopted a system of government modelled on the Westminster parliamentary responsible government of its departing coloniser. Each has a legal system based on the British common law that also seeks to accommodate indigenous customary law. In each of the five jurisdictions examined in this study there is some tension between the modern demands of good governance and traditional ties and practices. In each it could be said that, notwithstanding the rules enshrined in their written constitutions, the rule of law has not firmly taken root. Three of the jurisdictions examined in this study (Fiji, Bougainville, Solomon Islands), have been affected by violent conflict and/or political coups in recent years. This places an extra burden of expectation on the potential for a new constitutional settlement to aid in resolving and preventing conflict in future, and may also magnify the need for people to be involved in the process of building their new constitution together. Special challenges for conducting public consultation in the constitution building process are common to the five cases studied. All are small island developing states which rely to varying extents on foreign aid. All except Nauru are comprised of a large number of islands with mountainous terrain, making it logistically difficult (and very expensive) to consult with the widely dispersed population. All have poor infrastructure and limited media. ∗ Some parts of this paper have been presented at various conferences in Australia, Fiji, Vanuatu and South Africa, but none have been previously published. My research on Fiji and the Solomon Islands was undertaken in the course of my PhD research with funding from the University of Melbourne. The information on Nauru comes from my work as the main legal adviser on the project. I am grateful to Anthony Regan for his collaboration on a presentation on this topic at a workshop hosted by International IDEA and US Interpeace in Cape Town in April 2009, and for his generous assistance with information on Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. 1 The case studies reveal certain common approaches to constitution building in the
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