KINGSTON, Jamaica The Government of Jamaica has begun initial discussions regarding Jamaica’s transition to republican status.
Jamaica’s Minister with responsibility for Information, Hon. Sandrea Falconer, made the disclosure on February 15 Jamaica House press briefing.
She said the talks are being led by the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Department, spearheaded by a Ministerial Committee, which is to make recommendations to Cabinet before talks with the Opposition begin.
The committee members are Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding (Chairman); Minister of Finance, Planning and the Public Service, Hon. Dr. Peter Phillips; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. A.J. Nicholson; Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill; Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell; and Attorney General, Patrick Atkinson.
Meanwhile, the same Ministerial Committee is spearheading discussions for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to become Jamaica’s final court of appeal. The Justice Ministry and the Attorney General’s Department are also playing lead roles in these discussions. “It was advised that the two matters (republican status and CCJ) are to be kept separate,” Ms. Falconer stated.
In her inaugural speech in January, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, indicated that the government intended to begin the process of removing all ties with the British monarchy, thereby becoming a truly independent nation.
Currently, under the Jamaican Constitution, the country’s Head of State is Her Majesty The Queen. The Prime Minister is formally appointed into office by the Governor-General of Jamaica, who represents the Queen.
Mrs. Simpson Miller also signalled the administration’s intention to establish the CCJ in its final appellate jurisdiction and “end judicial surveillance from London.”
The CCJ was established as a regional judicial entity some 11 years ago, to be the final appellate court for member states of the Caribbean Community. While Jamaica is a signatory to the establishment of the CCJ, it does not yet use the court, as local cases are still referred to the Privy Council.
