New Constitution Will Serve the Interests of Jamaica – Minister Malahoo Forte

Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte, says upon completion of the legislative structure for Jamaica’s transition to a republic, the Jamaican Constitution will be in a form that best serves the interests of the nation.

“When all phases of the reform work are complete we will emerge with a brand-new Constitution keeping what has worked well for us and making changes where changes are required in our best interest as a nation,” she said.

Mrs. Malahoo Forte was addressing the National Human Rights High School Competition at the Summit in Kingston on Tuesday (December 10).

The Bill to amend the Jamaican Constitution to transition the country towards a republic was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

It seeks to abolish the constitutional monarchy and replace it with a Jamaican President as Head of State.

Mrs. Malahoo Forte, in noting the significance of the moment, said “the presence of the British crown in Jamaica is mixed with a history of colonialism and slavery where rights were not honoured, and so we cannot take for granted what we are celebrating today”.

The Bill will also entrench the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) in the Constitution, thereby giving it a permanent place in the country’s laws.

It will further incorporate in the Constitution and provide for the treatment of national items, including national symbols and emblems.

The Bill also provides for greater clarity on citizenship qualification and disqualification from the Parliament, and the appointment of Senators independent of the political parties represented in the House of Representatives, after general elections.

Minister Malahoo Forte said the journey to refine Jamaica’s national identity through constitutional reform has been in progress for a long time now.

“In 2011, we achieved a key milestone with the replacement of chapter three of the Constitution by the charter of fundamental rights and freedoms, strengthening in a historic way the protections of all Jamaicans and all persons in Jamaica,” she noted.

“In the phased reform work that we have embarked on, phase one has national goals that were set a long time ago… . We will put the supreme law of the land in proper form. We are patriating it; taking off the imperial cloak of the Order-in-Council and we are also beginning the process of Jamaicanising it,” she said.

Minister Malahoo Forte stressed that this milestone achievement is a critical step in Jamaica’s continued aspiration to assert its independence and a demonstration of national pride.

“We are moving forward because every step is progress. When this Ministry was established in 2022, we were given the responsibility of leading Jamaica’s legislative and constitutional reform efforts… . When we set national goals that are agreed on, we must find what it takes to achieve them and move forward,” she said.