Constitution must be the work of the people and must work for the people - AG

Attorney General Graham Leung says the constitution must be the work of the people and must work for the people, by being able to be changed by the people when their wants and needs change.

While contributing to the debate on the proposed amendments to the constitution, Leung says this is not the current case and our popular sovereignty has been subverted by a constitution that was not made by the people and no longer serves the people.

He says it is effectively frozen in time as it is virtually impossible for people to change it.

The Attorney General says the current 2013 Constitution provides that it can only be amended by the passage of a law approved by the very high special parliamentary majority of three-quarters of members of parliament, followed by the approval of three-quarters of the total number of registered voters in a national referendum.

He adds this makes it one of the hardest constitutions in the world to amend and it seeks an impossible level of participation and consensus.

He further adds that it was meant to be that way to preserve forever the handiwork of those who imposed the 2013 Constitution.

The Attorney General says the review of the constitution ensures that there is sufficient flexibility to allow the changing will of the people to be given effect.

Leung says that means not strangling the will of the people by requiring that it must reach such an unrealistic level of agreement that change can never be made.