NEGRIL, Westmoreland – Within a few weeks the Constitutional Reform Committee, which is currently conducting islandwide public consultations, is expected to release a summary of recommendations from the public.

The update was provided by committee co-chair Lieutenant General Rocky Ricardo Meade during a stakeholders meeting in Negril last Thursday. The meeting, which was held at the Rayon Hotel, came on the eve of a public forum held at Manning’s School later that day.

“Very soon that will come, maybe in the next few weeks or so. It won’t be perfect because that first iteration will be to say, ‘This is what we have so far. If your perspective is not represented, let us know,’ ” said Meade.

“That initial thing will be out in the next few weeks, then we will deliberate and so on,” the co-chair added.

Under the constitution, the public is to be informed of what is in the document at least six months before being asked to vote on it.

Meade noted that if the Parliament moves with alacrity and efficiency in doing its part, the nation could be called upon to vote on the matter before next year’s voters’ list update. He is, therefore, urging Jamaicans who are not registered to rectify that by September.

“We want to encourage you to make sure that you check, even if you are enumerated before, check that it is properly updated and that you have a valid voters’ ID and that there are no challenges when we get to that stage,” appealed Meade.

H explained that a referendum is similar to a general election, except in this case the public is not asked to vote for politicians. He spoke of the varying formats of a referendum, including putting all important issues to a public vote or putting all issues in a publicised Bill and having the public vote for or against the Bill. He said a simplified question is being considered.

“What that would mean is that we would have to explain the implications of a yes vote or a no vote to the people. The exact wording will come, but we are leaning towards making it simple and having the more complex matters, probably in the Bill, which we will then have to explain and make sure people have access to,” explained Meade.

President of the Negril Chamber of Commerce Elaine Allen Bradley spoke of the need to ensure that the public is made aware of the pros and cons of becoming a republic and the cost to the public purse. Allen Bradley, a Jamaican retired nurse from the UK, cited Brexit as an example.

“When the UK was leaving the EU they went out there and they told the people that they are leaving the EU because it will be better for them. Now they are out of the EU and a lot of them are suffering and want to go back into the EU. We don’t want that to happen. So we have to ensure, simplistically, the people know so that when the referendum comes they will know why they are saying yes or no,” explained the chamber president.

Committee members Dr David Henry, representative of the wider faith-based society, and Wayne Robinson, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, assured that this will be done.

Other committee members who were present include Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches chairman Dr Elaine McCarthy and chair of the National Committee on Reparations Lalieta Davis Mattis.