KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC—The Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs has launched an initiative to engage Jamaicans in the institutional reform process.
After over 60 years under its independence constitution, Jamaica seeks to move forward with an ambitious constitutional reform agenda. Much of the focus has been on enhancing the constitution’s distinctively Jamaican character through changes such as establishing a republic to sever one of the remaining ties with the United Kingdom.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Wayne O. Robertson, said that the initiative aims to reach citizens by engaging with them in communities and on the streets.
“We have pivoted… where we are now going into the towns across Jamaica and in the nooks and crannies of Jamaica to engage the man in the street. We recognize that webinars and town hall meetings are essential, but we need to be more granular in our approach,” he told a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank.
“The strategy has changed; we are not departing from the other engagements. We are continuing with those and have completed six town hall meetings in six parishes. We’re not finished, but we have gone throughout Jamaica to engage and educate Jamaicans on the Constitution and the Bill, in particular, before the house,” Robertson said.
The Permanent Secretary said that, so far, the constitutional reform engagements have reached every sector of society.
“I’m not saying that we have reached every Jamaican, but we have deliberately engaged all sectors. We started with the ministries, departments, and agencies; we have also met with the private sector, trade unions, and vulnerable groups, and we are not stopping there,” he added.
Robertson also announced that the Ministry is working to launch the Jamaica Legal Information Portal (JLIP) by April, which will allow Jamaicans to access laws and legal literature.
“That portal is revolutionary. Currently, no single repository contains all legal literature in one space. We propose introducing a platform, a website you can visit to download any law you desire. But we are going beyond that to include the Jamaica Gazette publications and other judicial information,” Robertson said.
He said rulings will also be accessible from the JLIP website.
“If the Supreme Court has a particular ruling, a judgment, you can also download the judgment and read accordingly. It would be a one-stop shop for all the laws of Jamaica. Currently, we are at the point of user acceptance testing, and the project is expected to be completed by next month,” he said.
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