Retired Cabinet Minister Derrick Smith wants Jamaica’s leaders to proceed with level heads in deciding which political system is best for the island’s future.

Smith, who headed the ministries of national security; mining and development, and also served as minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister in Jamaica Labour Party administrations at intervals between 2007 and 2018, was reacting to a call by former Prime Minister P J Patterson for the nation to move progressively towards becoming a republic, and end the neo-colonial attachment of having Queen Elizabeth II as head of State.

“I have heard the call from former prime minister and outstanding Calabar (High School) man P J Patterson for both leaders – the prime minister and leader of the Opposition to come together. In fact, he even suggested a sort of Vale Royal type meeting to iron out differences towards achieving republic status by our 60th anniversary,” Smith noted.

“The matter has been outstanding for such a long time. Government and Opposition has not decided on a route to go. But I have an issue with the knee-jerk reaction, that of responding to the fact that little Barbados has achieved the status. Yes, both Government and Opposition should come together and iron out the differences. But the fact that Barbados has gone through with it shouldn’t be the motivating factor,” Smith insisted.

While accepting that a change was necessary, Smith, also a former senator and veteran Member of Parliament for St Andrew North Western, and before that, for Kingston West Central, suggested that whenever Jamaica decides to go the route of republic, the Guyana model, whereby the role of president is an executive one, and not ceremonial like what obtains in Trinidad & Tobago, and Barbados, would be his preferred system of political administration.

“We first of all need to agree what type of republic status is best for Jamaica,” Smith went on in the interview with the Jamaica Observer. “Should it be the monarchy type that Trinidad and Barbados has, or should it be the Guyana type? I have not delved a lot into it, but I have a personal preference for the Guyanese model.

“It is relevant, topical, but I just don’t want us to react to the fact that Barbados has gone ahead and done away with the monarchy. I don’t know if we have enough time, starting from now, to agree with all that needs to be done between now and August of next year when Jamaica will mark its 60th year of Independence.

“It’s a very short time, and I don’t want to throw any cold water on it but we need to think through properly the type of republic status that we want, more than anything else. Like everything else, we agree that that’s the way to go in the future,” Smith ended.