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Britain does not have a written constitution! Then, one should wonder what the fuss is that we are entangled with, here in the Maldives, which is called ‘the process of amending constitution’. The British constitution consists of custom and tradition, laws dealing with the fundamentals of government, and some court decisions. Don’t different parties and groups with different views and interest fight among each other? They do but eventually they come to a consensus of a compromised agreement on important issues.

What…!? How on earth they do it? Developed societies also appear to have matured in the way they dialogue, respect for how others view the world in the sense to probe into and think about the merits of the different viewpoints, in the level of responsibility leaders feel towards the general public and in the way they bow in front of laws and people when accountability is in question. I mean left and right and government and opposition.

What a beautiful world? But I don’t mean everything is perfect there either. This is perhaps the most seasoned of all thoughts that developed societies hold in their collective conscience. We seem to have a problem in digesting the imperfection experienced within different facets of life, taking this natural law more harshly on ourselves, while it is taken for granted or more appropriately as common sense in developed lands. It looks to me like that constitution has no bearing in what makes great countries great. It is something in the way that people ENVISION, then THINK and BEHAVE. 

United States of America is said the first modern nation born on a vision. A vision that all people can share, belong and be proud. The Preamble of American constitution states; 

“ We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” “We the people” is reported the most quoted words of whole the US constitution, for the term’s visionary quality and attractiveness to instill the belonging. 

When people come to share a common vision, the vision do not change fundamentally. Each person represents the whole image from a different point of view. As if you were to look through holes pocked in a window shade, each hole would offer a unique angel for viewing the whole image. 

A ‘vision’ may be the factor that makes people tolerate a collectively shared society. Perhaps the ‘vision’ should create the constitution; be it half written like British or fully written similar to American. Not the visa versa! 

What is the Maldivian ‘VISION’ that can override all our big and small issues with each other? What is that single picture that we all see through the holes? How would you write….The Preamble…. the introductory first sentences of the Maldivian constitution? 

Does it come to your mind that the whole problem with the Maldivian situation is that we haven’t come up with the first sentence ….the beginning ….the preamble …… of our constitution? Why worry about the completion of something which hasn’t got a beginning yet?