THE nagging, annoying, embarrassing feeling that as a country we have let ourselves down very badly by continuing to maintain constitutional and legal links with the British monarchy, 50 years after the declaration of political independence, haunts many Jamaicans.

That, we believe, largely motivated the proposal by young member of parliament, Mr Raymond Pryce, for the name of that annual address to Parliament by the governor general to be changed from the Throne Speech to the People’s Speech.

Some will feel the name reportedly proposed by Mr Everald Warmington, the State of the Nation Address, would be more appropriate.

What’s in a name? We may well ask. There are those who will suggest its much ado about nothing. Indeed, Opposition Leader Mr Andrew Holness and the Opposition spokesman on justice Mr Delroy Chuck have reportedly said a change of name would be pointless, if not inappropriate, while the monarchical system prevails.

Yet, we are more inclined to agree with Mr Warmington that we shouldn’t “wait for anything”, but should change the name of the governor general’s speech now before the 2013 opening of Parliament, if only for the symbolic value in this our 50th anniversary year.

Of course, of far more import is the imperative to replace the monarchical system with a republican form and also to replace the British Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice as Jamaicaâs final court.

We are thankful that the Government has pledged to pass this year “An Act to establish the Caribbean Court of Justice as Jamaica’s final Court of Appeal”, subject to further dialogue with the Opposition”.

And that “The Government places priority on preparing and passing an Act to establish Jamaica as a Republic, within the Commonwealth of Nations” again, subject to “consensus and dialogue with the Opposition”.

As we understand it, parliamentary consensus (via a two-thirds majority) is what is needed to effect the change from the British Privy Council to the CCJ, though there are many who suggest we would be better off getting affirmation from the people via a referendum. As was noted in this space two weeks ago, Trinidad and Tobago — also in its 50th year of Independence — is also finally making the move towards the CCJ as its final court in criminal matters.

The change from a monarchical to a republican system will definitely require a referendum — an elaborate and expensive process made more complex by the instinctive fear of incumbent administrations that the Opposition will opportunistically seek political advantage.

That fear, intrinsically bound to the experience of the federal referendum in 1961, is, we believe, the real reason the ludicrous reality of the British Monarch as Jamaica’s Head of State remains.

We note that from all accounts both our political parties have largely agreed on the proposals relating to Jamaicaâs highest court and the move to republicanism.

This newspaper joins all forward-thinking Jamaicans in the expectation that our political leaders will expeditiously, and in good faith, move to complete the circle of independence and sovereigntyâ by pushing through the necessary legislation.