Dear Editor,

The 2026 Throne Speech was a stark reminder that Jamaica’s transition to a republic status remains unfinished.

While the national theme of the Throne Speech, ‘Building Forward’ signalled momentum in economic recovery and infrastructure, our constitutional journey feels more like a treadmill, with plenty of motion but no real change in direction.

Now, in the second quarter of another legislative year, the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) remains trapped in consultations that look less like progress and more like delay.

The CRC’s mandate was clear when it was established in 2023: Guide the transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. This 15-member body of Government, Opposition, legal experts, and civil society was tasked with bridging colonial law and modern sovereignty. Yet, in 2026, we are still debating Phase 1 recommendations first drafted by earlier reform commissions in the 1990s. The “who, what, and where” of this transition have been dissected for decades. What remains missing, and what Jamaicans deserve, is the simple question of when.

Transparency is the bedrock of trust. Yet the process is shrouded in jargon and vague rhetoric about “phased implementation”. Public education is cited as the priority, but at what point does education become a cloak for political inaction? If the Government is truly committed to repatriating our constitution, why is the referendum date still a moving target?

National identity cannot be forged in a boardroom. This conversation began in 1962, when many of our grandmothers were just being born. Sixty-four years later, those grandmothers have lived entire lives while the simple right to have a Jamaican head of state remains a future aspiration. For younger generations, the idea of becoming a republic has fossilised, spoken of for so long without action that it no longer feels alive.

We must also confront referendum fatigue. By delaying the vote, the Government is not preparing the public; it is draining the enthusiasm needed for a successful transition. A republic born out of exhaustion, rather than national fervor, dishonours our ancestors.

It is time to break the infinite loop of deliberation and let the people decide. If 2026 is truly about “building forward”, then let us finish the business we began in 1962.

Peter Grant

pg881695@gmail.com