Progress Made in Advancing Constitutional Reform – Minister Malahoo Forte

Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte, says significant progress was made in advancing the constitutional reform agenda during the 2024/25 financial year.

She said the Constitution (Amendment of Section 61) Act in July 2024 to provide for new words of enactment was the first legislative step taken in a proposed series of amendments “to give effect to a Constitution enacted by the Parliament of Jamaica and approved by the people of Jamaica”.

“The new words of enactment are no longer monarchical. Today, they indicate the supreme authority of the Parliament of Jamaica in legislative matters,” she pointed out.

The Minister was making her contribution to the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 6).

She further mentioned the tabling of the Constitution (Amendment) (Republic) Act in the House on December 10, 2024, noting that the legislation “marked the farthest step taken to achieve the national goals of Jamaicanising our Independence Constitution and transitioning Jamaica from a constitutional monarchy to a Republic”.

She shared that in preparing for the tabling of the Bill, the Ministry printed a consolidated version of the Jamaica Constitution “and we clothed it in the Jamaican colours as a symbolic gesture of where we are going”.

She reiterated her profound thanks to members of the Constitutional Reform Committee who have assisted with the work, as well as the dedicated constitutional reform team at the Ministry.

“I want everyone to understand this. Transforming broad constitutional proposals into legally sound and effective legislation is an arduous task, requiring technical expertise and sustained efforts,” Mrs. Malahoo Forte said.

Meanwhile, the Minister said the Government remains committed to furthering the goals of independence.

“It is a complex process that is set out in the Constitution. It is designed to be slow and it demands collaboration,” she pointed out.