Among the 1983 constitution's most controversial provisions was its establishment of the Tricameral Parliament, a legislative arrangement that would permit the Coloured and Indian race groups to be represented in parliament on a segregated basis, and the abolition of the office of Prime Minister in favour of an executive State Presidency under ruling Prime Minister P. W. Botha.

While opposing the utility of white rule, the PFP attempted to incorporate a 'Bill of Rights' into the new constitution proposed by the National Party.

[3] Helen Suzman, Shadow Law and Order Minister, argued that the exclusion of the bill would lead to "a further loss of civil liberties by all South Africans - in short, to one-party, one-group dictatorship in this country".

[6] Rejecting Schwarz’s proposal, Daan van der Merwe of the Conservative Party stated that the bill, based on a “leftist-liberal political philosophy”, would jeopardise the freedom of the white man.

[7] New Republic Party leader Vause Raw said Schwarz “a master at platitudes” was seeking idealistic freedoms that did not exist anywhere in the world.