WESTERN BUREAU – ALL Magistrates and Justices of the Peace (JPs) should swear allegiance to the people of Jamaica, said custos of Trelawny, Royland Barrett, who argued the need for uniformity in the oath of allegiance.

“Once the head of the country is swearing one way, the rest of the officers, magistrates and justices of the peace all should swear the same way, because it looks funny – the prime minister swearing to the country, and others swearing to somebody else,” Barrett remarked.

Barrett was referring to the fact that in October 2002 when P J Patterson was sworn in for an unprecedented third consecutive term as prime minister, he symbolically took the oath of allegiance to the constitution and the Jamaican people during a public ceremony at the Emancipation Park.

It was the first time that a Jamaican leader shifted to swearing an oath to Jamaica and its people, rather than to “the queen, her heirs and successors”. This followed an amendment to the constitution the previous month.

Barrett made the call last week at a swearing-in ceremony for 25 newly appointed JPs for St James, Montego Bay. The JPs swore their allegiance to Jamaica and the people of Jamaica, a move which was lauded by Resident Magistrate Valerie Stevens, who was present at the ceremony.

“I’ve attended many swearing-in ceremonies, but this is the first one that I’ve attended where the justices actually swore their allegiance to Jamaica and the people of Jamaica… and to me, that is very significant,” she remarked.

“I felt something. I got nothing against the crown, not with my (English) accent. But swearing your allegiance to Jamaica and to serve the people of Jamaica is significant,” she continued.

Stevens cautioned the JPs to jealously guard their reputations, and challenged them to assist in dispelling the notion that everything was for sale in Jamaica.

She also reminded them that provisions were made in the law and they could be convicted for giving wrong or false information.