KINGSTON, Jamaica — A bill that will pave the way for the amendment of Section 61 of Jamaica’s Constitution and eliminate reference to the United Kingdom monarchy during the legislative enactment process, was approved in the Senate on Friday.

All eleven Government senators in attendance during the parliamentary sitting voted in favour of passing the bill entitled, The Constitution (Amendment to Section 61) Act.

Four opposition senators supported its passing but Opposition Senator Lambert Brown abstained.

The amendment provides for new words of enactment in the Constitution, replacing ‘the Queen’, with ‘the Parliament of Jamaica’.

Piloting the bill in the Upper House, Government Senate Leader Kamina Johnson Smith told the Parliament that the bill is one of several legislative steps being taken by the Administration as it pushes towards making Jamaica a republic.

“The government firmly believes that it is important to express the supreme authority of Parliament of Jamaica in all legislative matters. Very importantly, the proposed amendment to section 61 of the constitution is an important step on our road to becoming a republic. Having replaced the words for enactment for all bills of Parliament, when the bill to transition Jamaica from a constitutional monarchy to a republican is passed, it will state that the enactment is made by the Parliament of Jamaica,” she told the Upper House.

While Deputy Opposition Senate Leader Donna Scott-Mottley supported the bill, she expressed concern about the approach of the Government to the constitutional reform process.

Scott-Mottley questioned the timing of the Government’s move to have the bill approved in both Houses of Parliament, noting that she had concerns from the proposed amendment to the enacting clause first came to the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) for discussion.

“So when it came to the CRC, as I was saying, people were saying, but why? Why now would I have suggested a different approach? When you table the bill to become a republic, it has to be tabled in the House of Representatives three months before it can be debated. Would now be a more appropriate time to have this amendment made, because then we would be truly on our way to becoming a republic?” Scott Mottley said.

Senator Johnson Smith responded and indicated that the Government is pursuing constitutional reform in purposeful stages and reasoned that the bill to amend enacting clauses is one of several important steps.

The bill was approved in the lower house last month.