Dear Editor,

The debate over the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has always had a strong emotional pull. There is the Caribbean dream, the desire to complete the break from colonial institutions, and the understandable appeal of saying that our final court should be our own. That is the heart speaking. But when Jamaica chooses its final appellate court, the head must come first.

Bruce Golding understood that distinction. His position was not that a Caribbean court was inherently inferior. His concern was whether Jamaica should make a permanent constitutional change before being completely satisfied with the strength, stability, and independence of the institution being asked to replace the Privy Council.

That is the difference between being anti-Caribbean and being pro-Jamaica. For too long, one side of our political aisle has appeared more willing to pursue the Caribbean ideal, even when Jamaica is being asked to take the greater institutional risk. Regional integration becomes something to be achieved, almost as a matter of faith, and caution is too easily dismissed as colonial thinking.

But countries are not governed on sentiment alone. The latest controversy surrounding the CCJ does not prove every criticism ever made of the court, and allegations should not be treated as established fact. What it does prove is the wisdom of scrutiny.

A final court is not a cultural statement, it is not a symbol. It is one of the most important institutions a country can entrust with the rights and liberties of its citizens.

Jamaica can love the Caribbean and still ask hard questions. We can believe in regional cooperation without believing that every regional project must automatically become a Jamaican institution. And we can pursue decolonisation without allowing the romance of the Caribbean project to outrun good judgment.

On the CCJ, the Government has repeatedly chosen the head over the heart. That may be less inspiring than the regional dream, but when the stakes are this high, it may also be the wiser choice.

Adrean Gentles

Concern citizen

gentlesadrean123@gmail.com