Jamaica looking to hold referenda on head of state, Caribbean Court of Justice

The Holness administration has indicated that it is committed to holding referenda to decide on a number of issues of national importance, including replacing Queen Elizabeth II, as head of state and the island-nation joining the Trinidad & Tobago-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

This was revealed by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck while speaking on a number of other “priority” legislation had pushed the issues of the CCJ and the head of state to the back burner.

But he insisted that the administration is still committed to holding the referenda on these and other critical issues.

Chuck that there were many bills had to be dealt with in the last 3 years that a number of these referenda matters had not really come to the fore to be addressed.

The CCJ, established in 2003 to replace the London-based Privy Council as the region’s final court, also serves as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration movement.

While most of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have signed on to the Court’s original jurisdiction, only Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana are signatories to the appellate jurisdiction.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has in the past reiterated the ruling Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) position on the CCJ, which is to reserve the decision to embrace the CCJ for a referendum.

While in opposition, the JLP rejected the CCJ as the final appellate jurisdiction for Jamaica.