The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has scoffed at claims by Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Leader Prime Minister Andrew Holness that it is to be blamed for the seeming stillbirth of the push to transform Jamaica into a republic.

Speaking on Sunday at a meeting in the key constituency of St Catherine East Central — one of two Portmore seats held by the JLP — Holness all but admitted that the constitutional reform process is dead and laid the blame squarely at the feet of the PNP, in particular its president, Mark Golding.

“Never forget that the Opposition leader got up in the Parliament and he said, ‘I support it [the move to a republic]. Yes, I believe we should move ahead forthwith because the support is on our side as well for Jamaica to become a republic’,” said Holness.

According to Holness, having taken Golding at his word, he initiated the process that would enable the country to transition to republic status.

“Only to hear after a long period of review and study, and a report was prepared — only to hear that they changed their mind, they no longer want it. Now they say that they’re going to tie it to the removal of the [United Kingdom-based] Privy Council when that was never a part of the discussion,” added Holness as questioned which of the two political parties really wants to see change in the country.

“Who is the party that is really, tangibly changing the landscape of Jamaica; which political organisation is changing Jamaica for the better?” questioned Holness.

But on Tuesday Golding charged that Holness should take the blame for the delay in the move to republican status, which both parties have agreed on.

“The demise of the constitutional reform process is the result of the PM’s obdurate refusal to state and explain to Jamaica his position on the Jamaica’s final court, despite being fully aware that we are not prepared to accede to a two-phased approach without upfront clarity as to his position on the decolonisation of Jamaica’s final court,” said Golding in response to questions from the Jamaica Observer.

“The Bill tabled by the Government also has other fatal flaws. It would enshrine a stealthy Trojan horse mechanism in the constitution to enable the PM to appoint a president who will do his bidding, and who can be relied on the appoint three senators who will also do the PM’s bidding, thereby empowering the PM to put and keep Jamaica in a perpetual state of emergency, all without any need for consensus with the Opposition,” added Golding.

He said the omission of an impeachment procedure is another glaring flaw in the Bill.

Constitutional reform has been talked about for decades in Jamaica across different political administrations.

Different committees have been established by both parties, with the most recent being the Constitutional Reform Committee established by the JLP in 2023.

While both parties agree on the transformation to a republic the PNP favours making the Caribbean Court of Justice Jamaica’s final appellate court while the JLP is yet to make its position clear.

Golding has led his party’s boycott of a joint select committee of Parliament examining the proposed legislation, having not attended since the second meeting on January 22, and has insisted that the Bill now being examined by the committee is “fatally flawed”.

He has argued that the Government should provide a clear position on the island’s final court, but the Government has countered with the claim that this is to be addressed in a second stage of the process.

The Opposition leader has also objected to the mechanism for appointing a president for the republic of Jamaica as he has charged that what is proposed effectively places that power in the hands of the prime minister, “a highly undesirable further concentration of power”.

But Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte, who is co-chair of the Constitutional Reform Committe, has argued that Golding is being less than truthful and insincere as it relates to the constitutional reform process.

Malahoo Forte, like Holness, has appeared resigned to the fact that the reform process is doomed without the participation of the Opposition.

“I get the sense that no matter what answers are provided, the parliamentary Opposition would be separating from the process anyway,” said Malahoo Forte at a recent post-Cabinet media briefing.

She has further argued that a parliamentary Opposition should not be granted veto power to block the appointment of the president of the proposed republic under the constitutional reform process.

According to Malahoo Forte, any prime minister should have the final say on who should be the president after consulting with the leader of the Opposition.