I have lost faith in constitutional reform
Dear Editor,
When the idea was bounced around to remove the King of Great Britain as the head of State of Jamaica and turn ourselves into a republic I was on board with the idea at first, as I would like nothing more than to be able to truly celebrate Independence Day for what it is, political and economic independence from our former colonial masters.
Now, looking at the constitutional reform process and remembering the actions of the incumbent Jamaica Labour Party Government as well as previous and current actions of the People’s National Party, I believe that if a referendum is called, I would vote for King and country instead of a Jamaican president.
Judging by the Constitutional Reform Committee’s process and the gravity of constitutional reform, I don’t trust the Government to make a true change. It claims to want consensus about a major process that would affect 2.73 million Jamaicans, but from whom is it getting consensus? Itself and its preselected representatives from various interest groups who engage in closed-door meetings and then come and tell us what they will do in a “once-in-a-blue moon” town hall that is as ceremonial as the governor general and future president and call that “public engagement”?
What is the sense of removing a ceremonial King only to replace him with a ceremonial president, with the same 63 representatives and a near-autocrat prime minister who isn’t even chosen by the citizens but by whichever party wins? In fact, why is a ceremonial president proposed and not an executive one who the people can vote for separate from the Members of Parliament on election day? What anti-corruption measures and impeachment proceedings will be discussed for the Jamaican republic?
As much as I may not like having a governor general and people still paying fealty to a King across the Atlantic Ocean, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.
I may dislike the current state of affairs, but I wouldn’t trust our current dual party government to make a constitution that doesn’t turn Jamaica into a corrupt oligarchy at best or a full on dictatorship at worst.
Marcus White
whitemarc918@gmail.com
