Former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Suood has said that the people must be active in order to protect and revive the constitution.
On Sunday, Suood launched two of his books - Rayyithunge Asaasee Haqquthakaai Minivankan (Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the People) and Mudhalhu Zakaaiy Hisaabu Kurun (Calculation of Property Zakat).
Speaking at the ceremony at the National Library, Suood said the constitution does not speak and act on its own and that is why the people have a duty to protect it.
"The more the people are active, the more the constitution will be activated. The constitution can be revived by the people's efforts. If the people remain indifferent and inactive, the rights in the constitution are just words written on paper. Those words can be revived through the people's work," he said.
Every fundamental right enshrined in the constitution should be enjoyed equally, but it does not happen that way, he said.
Suood noted that the constitution provides the path for every citizen to go to the court if the executive branch violates the constitution.
He added that the people have the power over the legislature if it passes an unconstitutional law.
Referring to the chapter on the sovereign power of the state in the book "Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the People", Suood said that sovereign power is very dangerous and if it is not restrained, it can easily accumulate in one's hands.
“It becomes very poisonous,” he said.
Before the first constitution, sovereign power was exclusively in the hands of the king. After the first constitution, many efforts were made to separate the powers, but until the adoption of the current constitution, it changed in different ways, Suood stated.
Suood noted that from 2004 to 2008, the new constitution was drafted after thinking about ways to ensure that power doesn't go to just one person. The strongest message from the people at the time was that the three powers should be separate, he said.
"It is to prevent dictatorship which can be caused when the sovereign power of the state lies with just one person. So the main task of the 2008 Constitution was to invent a way to control this sovereign power," he said.
