Road to Republic More Than 50 % Complete

Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte, says work being done to transition the country from a Constitutional Monarchy to a Republic is more than 50 per cent complete.

The constitutional reform process remains high on the Government’s agenda as the country seeks to complete the Independence journey started in 1962, by establishing a Jamaican President as the Nation’s Head of State.

The most recent move was the tabling of the Constitution (Amendment) (Republic) Bill, 2024 in December last year.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank, today (March 19), Mrs. Malahoo Forte said the work to reform the Constitution is “not just about talk, and it truly begins when the Bill is before the Parliament”.

“You can only change the provisions of the Constitution by a Bill amending those provisions. With the Bill in the Parliament, we are more than 50 per cent along the way. I would say that once the review is complete, the next thing is debating and passing the Bill in the House of Representatives,” the Minister pointed out.

The Bill is currently before a Joint Select Committee of Parliament.

Following review, a report will be produced that will inform the debate in the Houses of Parliament.

Following passage of the Bill in the House of Representatives, it would then be sent to the Senate.

The Minister explained that if the Senate does not complete its vote on the Bill as prescribed by the Constitution within a month, it would be deemed to be rejected and the Bill is returned to the House.

“We are going to be overtaken by the General Election. The good thing is that the alteration process in the Constitution recognises that too, and so the work can be done over different Parliaments. So, we are more than halfway but critically and qualitatively, because we have the Bill in Parliament, I would say it is the biggest achievement we have made, so far, in the process to reform the Constitution to transition to a Republic,” Minister Malahoo Forte said.

The transition reinforces the principles of democracy, transparency, and inclusivity in Jamaica’s governance framework.