Malahoo Forte says Opposition’s stance on Constitutional Reform Committee report regrettable
Published:Friday | May 10, 2024 | 4:19 PM
Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte, says it is regrettable that Opposition Leader Mark Golding has instructed opposition representatives on the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) not to sign off on the committee's report until concerns he has raised about the reform process are resolved.
Malahoo Forte is reportedly pushing to have the CRC's report signed and presented to Cabinet.
However, Golding wrote to Prime Minister Andrew Holness on May 7 outlining his concern regarding the timeline for severing ties with the British monarchy and the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.
READ: Opposition withholds assent to Constitutional Reform Committee report
In the letter, released to the media, Golding reiterated the Opposition's stance that both matters should be addressed at the same time, and not in a phased way, as the Government has proposed.
He again made it clear the Opposition would not be supporting the move to establish Jamaica as a republic, if the CCJ issue is placed on the back burner.
Reacting, Malahoo Forte says the committee has operated on a consensual basis, stating that she has always sought to accommodate the wishes and concerns of the Opposition representatives.
She outlined that consistent with the committee's Terms of Reference, the reform of the Constitution is being done in phases with phase one focusing on those matters which are deeply entrenched, require a referendum, and upon which there is broad agreement, namely Jamaica's transition from a constitutional monarchy to a parliamentary republic.
Phase Two, she indicated, will focus on those matters which are not deeply entrenched, do not require a referendum, but require more time for consensus to emerge after open debate and deliberation, including the matter of the final court.
“Indeed, since the very first meeting of the CRC, the chair has ensured that every issue within the ambit of Phase One brought to the table by the Opposition representatives was not only discussed freely but resolved to their satisfaction. Consistent with the CRC's solemn commitment to working consensually, the report of the CRC includes only those matters on which consensus was reached among members of the CRC,” said Malahoo Forte in a statement today.
“Yet it is regrettable that the Leader of the Opposition has instructed his representatives on the committee not to sign the report, even though the report includes only those recommendations to which all members of the committee agreed,” she added.
The legal and constitutional affairs minister she remains undaunted in the task ahead, which she said is to give the people of Jamaica what they have long yearned for - a republic.
“While consensus of the Government and Opposition is a required step to advance reform of the deeply entrenched provisions, ultimately it is the people of Jamaica who will decide.
“It is the hope of the CRC that, when that time comes, all eligible Jamaican voters will turn out and demonstrate that it is not about political preferences, but that you the people want to have a definitive say in our governance arrangements. I am hopeful that both Government and Opposition can work together to help create the Republic of Jamaica.”
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