The late renowned pollster Dr Carl Stone once produced research data, during the early 1990s, that revealed over 60 per cent of Jamaicans at that time felt that the country would have been better off if Jamaica had remained a British colony. From all indications, that view may well be prevalent today, as a result of the failure of successive governments since the attainment of political Independence in 1962 to achieve economic prosperity and social stability.

Today, on the eve of Jamaica’s 50th year of so-called Independence, the nation remains a relic of British imperialism, still paying homage to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors. Yes, “Missis Queen” is our head of state with a governor general who represents her in King’s House, with the traditional extension of Custodes Rotolorum in each parish and Justices of the Peace. In the same way that there are numerous laws that need to be modernised and restructured to deal effectively with current realities, our parliamentarians, many of whom have seemingly forgotten that they are also legislators, have shown no interest in cutting the umbilical cord with Mother England.

If memory serves me right, I recall posing a question to former Prime Minister PJ Patterson in his penultimate term in office during a press briefing at Jamaica House about the agenda for republican status. His response was somewhat nebulous, but he did indicate that while he was willing to pursue the matter, it was necessary for the then Opposition to fully come on board. Well, he left office and nothing happened. After almost four years in office, the Bruce Golding administration has not uttered a word about Jamaica moving towards republican status. There has been no pronouncement on this matter from the Opposition People’s National Party either. Are we therefore right to assume that neither the ruling Jamaica Labour Party nor the Opposition PNP has any interest in severing ties with the British monarchy at this time or in the near future? Is it that they have reached a comfort level with this outdated and somewhat demeaning relationship which sees a country that is 80 per cent black paying homage to a white queen thousands of miles away? And we bemoan the fact that so many of our young men and women are bleaching!

Of course, the matter of achieving republican status brings to the fore the controversial issue of constitutional reform which neither the JLP nor the PNP appears to have much stomach for. What is even more disconcerting is that the “third parties”, specifically the New Nation Coalition which incorporates the National Democratic Movement and Marcus Garvey’s People’s Political Party, have not consistently articulated any position on the matter of Jamaica becoming a republic. Is it that we as Jamaicans lack sufficient confidence in ourselves as a people? Is republican status too expensive a proposition that we can ill afford?

Some cynics may well argue that all I am dealing with here is symbolism and that whether Jamaica remains constitutionally linked with Great Britain or becomes a republic does not really matter. In other words, if it ain’t broke, then why fix it? What we should be focusing on is good governance and effective economic management? The wretched truth is that one of the reasons why no government so far has been able to sufficiently inspire the people and take them on a path of purpose and prosperity may well lie in the psyche of the average Jamaican who has had to endure for the most part a kind of schizophrenic existence. Noted psychiatrist, Dr Fred Hickling, has been reported as revealing that a large portion of Jamaicans suffers from personality disorders of one kind or another. Could it be that Jamaica needs to pay more attention to how we nurture the minds of our people with respect to who they truly are and what it really means to be a Jamaican? How does our educational system deal with our African ancestry versus our experiences of slavery and British colonialism?

Whenever the matter of republican status comes up, two perspectives are usually posited. There is the system in which there is a ceremonial president as is to be found in our neighbouring Caricom nations of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. In such a scenario, the president has very little if any executive powers and remains a mere rubber stamp, which in essence means that he or she is akin to a governor general without the royal connection. This president is usually chosen by the ruling party in consultation with the Opposition party which again makes him or her a neutered creature of the country’s constitution. The other system, which I personally prefer, is where there is an executive president who is directly elected by the people. This proposition could be made similar in some ways to either the system in the United States or most European countries. Needless to say, I would prefer the latter.

The present composition of our Senate, the so-called Upper House, has not helped much with respect to good governance, as it operates like the Lower House in a narrow partisan and divisive way. For years, the suggestion has been made, and rightly so, that there ought to be some amount of independent representation in the Senate so as to allow civil society and influential sectoral groupings a greater level of meaningful participation in the nation’s affairs.

Space does not allow for this writer to explore extensively this burning issue of republican status, but it is my hope that as we begin to focus more succinctly on our first 50 years of Independence that the continuing relationship with the British monarchy will become a subject of great interest and debate among well-thinking, self-respecting and patriotic Jamaicans. God save Jamaica!

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com