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February 13, 2025
Referendum bill to allow Jamaicans to participate in constitutional reform – Throne Speech
A referendum bill that will allow Jamaicans to participate in the constitutional reform process by way of a referendum is to be tabled in the Parliament.
This was stated by the Custos of Kingston Steadman Fuller on Thursday as he delivered the 2025 Throne Speech to mark the start of the new parliamentary year.
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The pending referendum bill is despite the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) being at loggerheads over the constitutional reform process. The PNP is presently boycotting the joint select committee of the Parliament that is reviewing the Constitution Amendment Bill 2024, ostensibly because the JLP is insisting on pressing ahead with replacing the Monarchy and King Charles as Jamaica’s Head-of-State without committing to making the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Jamaica’s final appellate court at the same time.
The JLP has said the CCJ matter will be addressed in phase two of the reform process, however the high level of distrust between the two parties has the PNP insisting that the two things be done at the same time.
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Fuller said the referendum bill will provide the procedures for Jamaicans to participate in the reform of the Constitution. This is necessary to remove the entrenched provisions in the constitution such as replacing the British Monarchy.
According to Fuller, the Government was “making historic strides in transforming the country’s legal and constitutional landscape, guided by a vision of self-determination and modernisation”.
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He pointed to the tabling of the report of the Constitutional Reform Committee in Parliament as well as the Constitution (Amendment) (Republic) Bill, 2024, which is now being reviewed by the Joint Select Committee of both houses of Parliament.
“This is the most advanced step taken towards achieving the national goal of replacing the Monarch as Head of State and establishing Jamaica as a republic. The stage was set with the prior enactment of the Constitution (Amendment of Section 61) Act, 2024, which modernised the words of enactment by replacing references to the Monarch with references to the Parliament and the people of Jamaica, where appropriate, as a critical move toward patriating our Constitution,” said Fuller.
He said that in the 2025/2026 legislative year, the remaining steps will be taken to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill and then have it approved by the people (via a referendum).
Fuller said the reform work will continue into the next phases, with a sharp focus on Chapters III and VII of the Constitution (the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and the Judicature, respectively). “The people of Jamaica will also be provided the opportunity to have their say on the matter of Jamaica’s final court,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fuller said work was far advanced to revise the Law Revision Act to establish a new framework for revising and publishing the country’s laws in digitalised form, among other things.
