The constitutional conundrum
Published:Monday | May 20, 2024 | 12:05 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
On August 6, 1962, Jamaica became the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to gain independence. Ironically, based on the tribal nature of our politics, it does seem that Jamaica might very well be among the last to gain republican status. Our politics operates on the notion that for one side to win, the other side must lose, even where there is ample opportunity for a win-win scenario.
Between Holness wanting to remove the monarchy only, and Golding wanting to remove both the monarchy and the Privy Council, Jamaica is caught between a rock and a hard place. This political stalemate on such crucial constitutional matters must come to an immediate end. After 62 years of Independence, Jamaica needs complete separation from from the monarchy and the Privy Council. Jamaica must be set loose from the controlling influences of Britain’s apron string.
I sincerely hope that this is not a strategy by the Government and the Opposition to keep Parliament at loggerhead, and thereby continue to keep Jamaica tied to the British monarchy and the Privy Council. While I am in full support of a simultaneous break from the British monarchy and the Privy Council, if this cannot be achieved by consensus at the present time, then the next best thing is to first remove Jamaica from the British monarchy, and at a later date, remove Jamaica from the Privy Council. Sometimes consensus requires compromise, adopting a piecemeal approach, instead of a wholesale method.
Let’s see how this one plays out.
HENLEY TAYLOR