Some Passing Reflections on the Building Bridges Initiative

Abstract

This paper is a product of general reflections on the ongoing Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) process. The first part introduces the BBI process and explores its role in the ongoing constitutional reform debates. The second part examines some of the central weaknesses of the process in view of constitutional theory and highlights their deleterious effect on any gains that the process may seek to achieve. The third part examines some positive elements of the process and highlights the role of depoliticisation in the achievement of the BBI committee’s objectives.