Above: The old State House in St George; Left: The flag of Bermuda.
only time that a change in government had taken place under the new 1968 Constitution. During this new government administration, further
representation was made to the Governor that sought to make revisions to the 1968 constitution. The constitution was revised and provision was made for new constituencies. The Boundaries Commission was appointed by the Governor; given terms of reference to redraw the voting districts; and the Boundaries
Commission set about drawing up 18 single-seat constituencies. The general election in 1998 also saw the first political appointment of an Attorney-General. Thus, with the general election in 2003, the composition of Parliament was returned to the old established tradition of 36 elected members, but with the creation of 36-single-seat constituencies, as opposed to 40 dual-seats. The new amended Constitution provided for 36 members.
The present Parliament continues to evolve and to re-shape itself into a more representative institution, allowing for free and fair participation by all its elected representatives. This Parliament has distinguished itself by having been led by two outstanding women who served in the position of Premier, namely, Hon. Dame Pamela Gordon for the UBP and Hon. Dame Jennifer Smith for PLP.
Other significant developments were the establishment of the office of the Bermuda ombudsman in 2007, and the setting up of an Independent Salaries Review Board to determine the salaries of Members of Parliament. This system replaced the old practice of Members deciding their own remuneration outright – a practice that attracts adverse criticism from many quarters in the community.
It has indeed been a most profound and rich experience in serving Parliament as Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1998 to the present day. In my attempt to adjudicate on the Rules of the House, I hope that I have managed to get it right most of the time, as opposed to not having succeeded in doing so. The institution of Parliament is the epitome and embodiment of our long democratic process which must be preserved for generations to come. It has been a great walk down memory lane in reflecting on some of the constitutional changes that have taken place in Bermuda’s Parliament. The traditional convening of Parliament now takes place on the lawn of the cabinet grounds – and while not constitutional in nature – it does deserve a mention as it brings the role of Parliament closer to the people who elected its Members and are served by its establishment.
The Parliamentarian | 2009: Issue One - Bermuda | 9