Attorney General Sir Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin on Tuesday questioned whether Antigua and Barbuda still needs a Senate, suggesting that the country should consider whether a single-chamber Parliament would better serve its democratic system.
Benjamin raised the issue during his presentation in Parliament as part of a broader call for constitutional reform, arguing that long-standing structures should no longer be treated as beyond review.
“There’s been many around the region that the Senate should be done away with it, like in Dominica,” Benjamin told the House.
He contrasted the intended role of upper chambers in systems such as Britain with how senates function in the Caribbean, saying that while such bodies were designed to review legislation, make corrections and offer guidance, that ideal has not always been realized in the region.
“In Britain and the other countries, the Senate is used to deal with the law, to make corrections, to make suggestions about the law,” Benjamin said. “In the Caribbean, it is not exactly the case.”
The attorney general said the structure of Parliament should be examined openly as part of any serious constitutional review, noting that discussions on reform have been delayed for decades.
“We must begin debates and discussions under the provisions for constitutional reform,” he said, adding that the time had come to properly review the Constitution.
Benjamin did not propose an immediate abolition of the Senate but made clear that its relevance and function should not be immune from scrutiny. He framed the issue as one of national maturity and governance rather than partisan politics.
The comments form part of a wider push by the attorney general to revisit constitutional arrangements, including calls for Antigua and Barbuda to become a republic, change its oath of allegiance, and accede to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
