Garth Rattray | Paper republic or substantive re-public?

In June 2022, the Jamaican government announced its intention to abandon the Monarchy and become a republic by the time of the next general election in 2025. The process will include a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament and a referendum.

I don’t know why Jamaica did not become a republic when it gained independence from Britain in 1962. That would have concretised our sovereignty, enhanced our self-awareness/national identity, and imbued us with national pride. Instead, we chose to retain the British Monarch as our head of state. It gave the impression that we lacked self-confidence.

Over the years we slowly ‘Jamaicanised’ our seats of power and legislation. Still, the symbolic wig was worn by Honourable Judges and “HRH” is still emblazoned on our official documents. Ostensibly, we lacked the fortitude to take complete charge of our destiny as a nation.

Now, we want to be truly independent; and becoming a republic tells the world that we are who we are because we are who we are … not because we are a vestige of Great Britain. Becoming a republic announces our sovereignty as a nation … for better or for worse. We will only look to ourselves, our uniquely Jamaican experiences for precedent and for guidance.

RUN BY PEOPLE

The word ‘republic’ comes from the Latin r é s p ú blica, which means “public thing”. It denotes a state that is ultimately run by its people. The transition from our Constitutional Monarchy to Republic will require that 13 changes be made to our Constitution. The decision will be left up to our citizens, and the process will be slow and tedious. There will be an introduction of the bill, a mandatory waiting period, then a debate, then the vote in Parliament. All this is because the voting and the consequences of the voting are serious and far-reaching.

Currently, the process of public sensitisation and education is on. The Government of Jamaica formed the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) to carry out a detailed review of our [1962] Constitution, including the 2011 Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. The CRC will also review recommendations for reform made by previous constitutional reform commissions. The goal of the CRC is “ultimately, to implement an ambitious reform agenda”, including the abolition of the monarchy.

Although Jamaica was the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to gain independence, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, and Barbados have already taken the bold step and become republics. I was surprised that Barbados became a republic before us because it was once dubbed little Britain. They appeared to tightly embrace the British culture but, obviously, they want to be the master of their own fate. Jamaica is reviewing the processes undertaken by these nations, but our intended route is going to be a little different … we plan to put it to the people by way of a referendum.

The recent Gleaner Don Anderson poll (which canvassed a representative sample of 1,010 people over 18 years old and eligible to vote) found that 45 per cent of respondents think that Jamaica should become a republic with a president as our head of state. However, one year ago, that figure was 11 per cent higher. Twenty-six per cent of the respondents believe that we should keep the British Monarch as our head of state. That’s a 19 per cent difference between the people who support us becoming a republic and those who do not. Twenty-nine per cent revealed that they were unsure about which system we should adopt.

It was also discovered that when people have an opinion about an executive versus a ceremonial president, the prevailing thought is that having a ceremonial president is no different from our current system. They favoured the system in the United States of America where the president has an executive position and is not merely ceremonial.

COMMONWEALTH MEMBERSHIP

I came to understand that our membership in the Commonwealth (formerly called the ‘British Commonwealth’) would remain. One-third of the world’s population is part of the Commonwealth, but the British Monarchy is not the head of state for most of the countries that comprise the Commonwealth. In fact, Britain is not the most powerful country within the Commonwealth. Additionally, some member states were never a part of the British Empire. Some have left (been expelled or withdrawn) and some have returned or applied for readmission.

Being a member of the Commonwealth club makes us part of a huge, mutually supportive community with more than 80 Commonwealth organisations. It also aids in trade agreements and is supposed to facilitate easier visa and immigration processing.

But … what’s in a name? Why bother with all the effort, innumerable man-hours, and extreme expense of transitioning from a Constitutional Monarchy to Republic, if all it does is announce our complete separation from the monarchy? We are tired of the same old, same old. Transitioning to a republic should not only be about asserting our sovereignty; it should also be about benefiting the Jamaican public.

Our leaders should stand up and be brave and bold enough to use this opportunity to institute a renaissance of law, order, and discipline. Jamaica needs a genuine transition from mediocrity, inefficiency, corruption, indiscipline, aggression, violence, and selfishness to a society where decency, accountability, and obedience of the law prevail. Let the republic be more than mere words on documents. Let’s make Jamaica into the place that we want it to be. Let this be transformative.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.