Letter of the Day | Getting the job done on constitutional reform
Published:Thursday | October 2, 2025 | 12:08 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Immediately after the prime minister affirmed his oath of office, he made an appeal to the leader of the Opposition for both of them to work together to change the Constitution of Jamaica so that Jamaica becomes a republic.
The appointment of a cabinet minister and a minister of state in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Reform raises the question of how – against the background of the work of the former Constitutional Reform Committee – this administration will approach constitutional reform.
My experience as a member of that committee led me to conclude that it is unwise for a minister to lead the process. Throughout its work, it seemed that the committee was guided to fulfil the agenda of the Cabinet.
There are other ways to get the job done before the next general election is normally due, in September 2030.
Under the leadership of the prime minister, and, assuming he will first speak with the leader of the Opposition, a Parliamentary Commission should be established to make recommendations to Parliament on the reform of the Constitution that are necessary to make Jamaica a republic, with no ties to the British monarchy.
The commission should include women and men from a wide cross-section of interests, as was the case in the commission led by retired Justice James Kerr in the 1990s.
The commission will receive written and oral submissions, and it should, in ordinary circumstances, conduct its work in public. It should hold public sessions in every parish and be given a timeframe for the completion of its work.
There is enough time for that commission to make recommendations to Parliament, the new Constitution to be debated in both Houses, and a referendum held before the next election.
This assumes that both the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition will conduct themselves in a manner that reinforces commitment to the process as a national priority, rather than one from which either side will be taking partisan credit.
HUGH SMALL