Jamaica: progress, of sorts

Submitted by LJ Holden on 11 February, 2013 - 10:10

Jamaica is making progress towards abolishing appeals to the Privy Council, albeit glacially. The two Bills to abolish appeals and replace them with appeals to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) have reached the second reading, after which they will go to committee stage followed by the third reading, and from there on to Jamaica's Senate where they're likely to pass (the government has a majority of 13 v 7). It seems once the Privy Council goes, the government will act on its promise of declaring the Jamaican republic.

Meanwhile, underlining Jamaica's influence in the Caribbean, the Commonwealth of Dominica (a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations) has announced it will abolish appeals to the Privy Council, and make the CCJ its last court of appeal. During the debate during the mid 2000s in New Zealand on abolishing appeals to the Privy Council, we often pointed to Dominica as an example of a republic in the Commonwealth that had kept the Privy Council for appeals.

Jamaica clearly has influence in the Caribbean. That has to worry the proponents of the band-aid changes to the British monarchy's succession. It's taken Jamaica some time to get going on its long discussed move to the CCJ. With a Jamaican republic the next item on the agenda, it's likely the Jamaicans (who will have to amend their constitution to enact the succession changes) won't even bother.

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