Jamaica has to wait for republic status

In making her contribution to the 2022-23 Sectorial Debate in Parliament, Marlene Malahoo-Forte, Jamaica’s minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, made the announcement that Jamaica will take on the republic status in the next general election of 2025. This announcement comes after Malahoo Foote’s last statement in April 2022 when she detailed the processing to reach that status. The minister’s explanation now is that to gain the status as a republic, it would not be possible for 2022 as the long and detailed process to completely remove Jamaica from Britain requires time.

The Legal and Constitutional minister further noted that already a Constitutional Reform Committee is currently being drafted and the Shadow Cabinet members in parliament are included in that planning. “There are many steps to be taken between now and the tabling of a new constitution. I will advise when the committee is fully constituted,” Malahoo-Forte stated. In explaining further, the minister said that it is her intention to work assiduously to get the work done in time for the next session, “so that the steps can be taken for the next general election.” The minister added that there must be an “Act of Parliament to remove Her Majesty by altering section 34 of the Jamaican Constitution, which establishes the Parliament of Jamaica consisting of Her Majesty, a Senate and a House of Representative, shall not be deemed to pass unless at the final vote thereon it is supported by the votes, of not less than two thirds of all members in either house,” the government minister pointed out.

Malahoo-Forte also mentioned that a letter was sent to the attention of the Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding, to seek the participation of two ministers from the Shadow Cabinet to join the Constitutional Reform Committee.