From resistance to republic: Holness, Currie talk sovereignty

WESTERN BUREAU:

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has delivered one of his most pointed declarations on sovereignty and democratic accountability, telling Maroons that his authority flows directly from the people and must be exercised in their service.

“Sovereignty is the right of a people to decide, to own and decide, on their land and their resources, to make their laws and to enforce them,” Holness said.

He was speaking at the celebration of the 288th anniversary of the Maroon Peace Treaty in Accompong, St Elizabeth, on Tuesday.

The prime minister said the Maroon communities fall within that framework, telling the gathering, “All of you here are part of the Jamaican sovereignty. You are part of Jamaica, and you are entitled to the protection and resources of the State of Jamaica”.

Pointing to Jamaica’s layered system of governance, the prime minister highlighted Maroon leadership as a long-standing and respected form of community authority.

“You have something called the central government, you have the local government; but you also have other forms, like community leadership, and the Maroons have, for centuries, shown this kind of community leadership,” he said.

He also framed the Maroon legacy as central to Jamaica’s national story.

“When people hear about Jamaica and they hear about the Maroons, they see a side of us that is not just about enslavement, it is also about resistance,” Holness said, reminding that Jamaicans forced the British to sign a treaty – a rare outcome in colonial history.

He closed with a call for cohesion, declaring: “We have a collective sovereignty – one people.

“I am obligated to you. I report to you, you are the ones who elect and decide on my office, and my job is to report to you as a servant and steward of your resources,” Holness said, drawing sustained applause.

“So, I want you to know that in me, you always have someone who is looking out for you. In me, you always have someone who is in your service and working for you.”

Holness rejected any notion of authoritarian rule, stressing that leadership must be accountable and inclusive.

“My job is not to be an overlord of anybody or anything. My job is to make sure that your affairs are administered properly,” he said.

Richard Currie, chief of the Accompong Maroons, welcomed the prime minister’s framing, describing it as a necessary recognition of Maroon status and rights.

“To follow up on the prime minister’s conversation on collective sovereignty is one acknowledging Maroon sovereignty and acknowledging the sovereignty that was given by the British to the State,” Currie said.

He noted that Maroon leaders have long called for structured engagement on the issue.

“The collective sovereignty we want to move forward to in a republic is what my administration has been assiduously calling for – the dialogue,” he said.

Currie said Maroon sovereignty is rooted in kinship and shared history.

He argued that different people came among the Maroons, lived with them, and were embraced by them. They then became one family, and that one family is what morphed itself into what is being described as a collective sovereignty under the Jamaican umbrella,

“So yes, as Maroons, we are Jamaicans. We are Jamaican Maroons, but the first nation Jamaicans [are] quite distinct from the state Jamaicans, and that is the important understanding that needs to carry, and the documentation and the conversations that need to be had, to then not have to come here to preach more about sovereignty.”

Emphasising treaty-based rights, Currie added: “The Maroons are not distinct outside of the rights and privileges that we maintain today because of that treaty.”

He however welcomed continued engagement, stating, “I accept the prime minister’s offer for open dialogue on issues of development, on issues of Maroon status, and on issues of moving forward in unity, and collaboratively.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com