KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The leader of the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Mark Golding, has declared that he will not back down from his position that Jamaica must become a republic at the same time it accepts the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as its final appellate court.
Golding reaffirmed his position on Tuesday during a media briefing held at Gordon House.
But the Opposition Leader suggested exploring other areas of constitutional reform outside statehood and added that he will not divorce the issue of the Caribbean Court of Justice from the country’s republican push.
“That will not happen while I’m opposition leader. I believe the first order of business is to secure access to justice for the people of Jamaica, who have been denied it for over 200 years. Their final court is across the Atlantic Ocean in a foreign capital that has nothing to do with us. We believe that it is vital for the government to ensure full decolonization now.”
Earlier this year, the PNP withdrew from the Constitutional Reform Committee after Golding criticized Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness for not stating his position on the country’s final appellate court.
But, with the Prime Minister now stating his preference for a local final court, Golding says his party remains unmoved in its demands. He is suggesting that the political leaders move to other areas of potential consensus outside of the current impasse.
Meanwhile, Holness has invited the opposition leader to have a one-on-one dialogue on constitutional reform.
In response, Golding says that, as things stand, there is little room for progress on the key issues of the republic and the final court; however, he left the door open for further discussion when he meets with the Prime Minister.
Golding has also rejected the suggestion that the matter of the final court may be put to an indicative referendum.
He believes that the Parliament is the appropriate mechanism for changing Jamaica’s final appellate court.
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