When Barbados made what was a seamless transition to a republic back in November 2021, authorities in Jamaica appeared back then to have been inspired and motivated to persuade islanders into supporting moves for the country to also make the major constitutional plunge.
There was a flurry of activity and pronouncements about the need to take similar action as authorities were well aware that millions of Jamaicans had watched the live ceremony out of Barbados, as major global networks had covered the event.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his cabinet immediately began talking about establishing a committee to reform the constitution to cater for a ditching of a British king or queen as the country’s head of state.
Now with the situation well settled in Barbados with no opposition rumblings, Jamaica appears to be finally undertaking the major steps to initiate the process. Some progress has been made so far as cabinet ministers have been reporting in the past week.
The reform committed, largely made up of prominent attorneys, has met five times in recent weeks and has reached the state where it is ready to recommend to cabinet that the centuries-old British monarchical system be abolished. The king or queen must be replaced by a black or brown local as a ceremonial or titular president who would function as the island’s non-executive head of state.
Minister of Legal Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte told parliament in the past week that the committee has already wrapped up that aspect of its work and has also deliberated on the process of selecting whomever will be nominated as the president.
But the way forward has some major political and constitutional hurdles to clear. Clauses dealing with a switch from British head of state to a local president of the republic are rooted as entrenched clauses in the independence constitution and can only be removed by a people’s referendum vote.
“Once we have abolished the monarchy from the make-up of our form of government, it will be replaced by the office of president of the republic of Jamaica. The president of the republic of Jamaica is to be a separate office from the head of government of Jamaica,” Malahoo Forte told reporters.
She said the prime minister or head of government would be the one to nominate the president after consultation with the leader of the opposition. Parliament will later confirm the nomination.
“It is our intention to legislate that the two houses (assembly and the senate) will sit together to make this determination on a special vote,” she said. Any other country other than Jamaica will be considered foreign, she said of the committee.
When Barbados had made the switch to dump the British monarchy, Jamaican authorities had clearly signaled that such would have provided the perfect excuse to sell the idea to the public.
So when Prince William and his wife visited Jamaica last year as part of a mini Caribbean tour, Prime Minister Holness dropped the political bomb on the royals, telling them of the country’s intention to become a republic.
“Jamaica is, as you would see, a country that is very proud of our history and very proud of what we have achieved. And we are moving on and we intend to attain, in short order, our development goals and fulfill our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country.”
Of the 15 nations in the CARICOM trade bloc, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica and Barbados are republics with their own presidents but in the case of Guyana, its president is both head of state and government as of a constitutional amendment in 1980.
The Bahamas, Antigua, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and a few others have made political rumblings about ditching the British but no serious or concrete steps have been taken so far. Of these, Antigua seems to be the most determined.
What is still not clear or determined in Jamaica, meanwhile, is whether the referendum will be held simultaneously with general elections scheduled for late 2025.
“It is too early to provide an answer on whether the country will vote in a general election and vote on the referendum on the British monarch at the same time,” Malahoo Forte. We are taking advice, we are assessing the matter, and what I promise you is that I will give the nation a timely update on where we are,” she had said recently.
