'We could have a bicameral system' of Gov't- Hon Marlon A. Penn
.jpg)
In his contribution to the debate on the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, Honourable Penn referred to Bermuda, which has a similar system.
"We could have a bicameral system. We have someone who might not want to run for public office, who doesn't have to be in the Senate full-time. It might be a professional who has a very specific skill set that the country needs. You put them in the Senate, they could even serve as a junior minister, even a minister, and it gives the country the opportunity to benefit from that expertise within the territory."
What is a bicameral system of government?
A bicameral system of government features a legislature divided into two separate assemblies or chambers. This structure is a fundamental aspect of many governmental frameworks worldwide, distinguishing them from unicameral systems that operate with a single legislative body. The presence of two chambers allows for a distribution of legislative power, influencing how laws are debated, formulated, and enacted.
Establishing a bicameral legislature serves several purposes in governance. One primary reason is to implement checks and balances on legislative power, preventing any single body from dominating the lawmaking process. This dual structure helps prevent the passage of hasty or ill-considered legislation by requiring agreement from both houses. Bicameral systems also aim to represent diverse interests within a society.
Not full-time positions
Hon Penn suggested that the positions in the bicameral system do not have to be full-time positions. "They don't have to be; in a lot of countries, the way they function, they are not full-time positions."
According to Hon Penn, having a bicameral system would allow for legislation to be properly ventilated.
"We have to be fair and honest about that. We sometimes come here and we rush a lot at the legislation through the House of Assembly, and we don't give it the due care that we ought to have given it under different circumstances. So, I believe an Upper House, as it would be called, would give you the opportunity to really have a senate of experienced, capable individuals, not that the house is not capable, but it's always important to have additional eyes, additional persons looking at the same thing, you might see from a different perspective."
The Opposition Member said this Upper House could be a small one. "It doesn't have to be exhaustive like a lot of the other countries. [It] could be a small five-member."
1.jpg)
.png)
Follow Us On
19 Responses to “'We could have a bicameral system' of Gov't- Hon Marlon A. Penn”
Less money for roads and the things we need.
This plastic is the size of a small town. It would be run by 1 person in most places.
Is Fraser Premier this week this is his thing.
Half of these so called 'legislators' don't know what they're tlkin Abt.. they hear something, they google it, read up on it and come back;
"Hey guysss we should have a bicameral system! ..just hear me out, I know wht I'm tlkin Abt "
• Too small a population: a second chamber could become redundant, costly, and elitist.
• Risk of political deadlock in a small system where consensus is already fragile.
• Administrative burden: BVI already struggles with limited institutional capacity; two houses could stretch resources thin.
• Could distance people from decision-making, making politics more opaque instead of clearer.
The current BVI HOA should be abolished. The future legislature should be only 5 persons in an at large election. There is no premier, chief minister, president, speaker, etc. The UK governor shall preside over the 5 person legislature. Additionally no pension for former HOA and Legislative Assembly members except for Social Security
Board Age Benefits for those over 65 years.
We want these people to come out lesser off than when they went in? Who does that? These are our leaders, their sacrifices are far greater than you can imagine. If you don't like the individuals or if they arent doing a good job then change them next election cycle.
You arent man or woman enough or care enough or enough of a leader to put yourself up for election, but can sit on anonymous blogs and criticize criticize criticize.