Dear Editor,

At the Jamaica Labour Party Annual Conference on Sunday the Leader of the Opposition Andrew Holness said: “One of our greatest assets is that our final court is an internationally recognised court of arbitration and appeal, and we want to tek weh ourselves from it.”

It would appear that Holness and the Opposition have finally decided that under no circumstances whatsoever should the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) be our final court. I would now expect, therefore, that the talk about having a referendum no longer holds water. It appears that we will stick with the Privy Council in England.

Holness seems to have no faith in the Caribbean people. No faith or confidence in the CCJ? Can it be interpreted that he has more faith in the British people and the England-based Privy Council. What a pity! If that be the case, I wonder how outsiders view us? How outsiders view Mr Holness?

If an influential Jamaican political leader like Mr Holness appears to have no confidence in his own Caribbean court with judges of the highest intellect, it’s likely outsiders might form the same opinion.

It is my view that one of our greatest assets does not reside in England, but right here in the Caribbean. Justice Patrick Robinson, who has just been elected to the International Court of Justice, is a Caribbean man and a living example of where our assets reside. I was touched by the various tributes paid to him in Parliament on Tuesday. Could one of the distinguished parliamentarians who gave tributes quietly tell the Opposition leader that he need not fear because the CCJ is staffed with judges of the highest repute, akin to Justice Partick Robinson.

Hubert McIntyre

Montego Bay

hihubert@yahoo.com