No PM Under New Constitution Say Manning
There will be no prime minister under the new constitutional arrangements described by Prime Minister Patrick Manning at the 42nd annual People's National Movement convention on Sunday.

This was confirmed yesterday by a senior government source who is a member of the round table discussions on constitutional reform. It is the discussions of this group that form the basis of the working document which is to be put out for debate.

Yesterday a government source elaborated on the proposals. Under the new system, there will be a president who would be chairman of the Cabinet. The president would appoint the ministers-six of whom must come from the Parliament and the others would come from outside, the source said.

But the source stressed that the president would not be an executive president and explained why.

The chairman of the Cabinet, who would be designated a president, would not have presidential authority as exercised by the US president, but would be subject to the Cabinet.

"Executive authority would be exercised by the entire Cabinet. There would be Cabinet responsibility and the collective wisdom of the Cabinet-not one man-is upheld under the new arrangement," the source said.

"And the Cabinet would all be accountable to the Parliament," the source added.

The source said unlike the US system, the method of selection of the president would ensure that political control of the presidency and the Parliament is in the hands of the same party.

Article copyright: Trinidad Express News