Mr Speaker- As the representative of the people of the St James West Central Constituency in this Hounourable House, entrusted with the additional role of principal legal adviser to the Government of Jamaica, I remain humbled by the votes of confidence and the trust resposed in me by my constituents and by our Party Leader and Prime Minister -the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, MP.
2. I am deeply indebted to all my companions on this amazing journey. To my friends and family, especially my husband – Ian, I say thank you for your love, support and understanding.
To my constituency team, I say thank you for helping me to better serve the constituents. To the staff of the Attorney General’s Chambers, headed by the Solicitor General, and especially my secretary and personal assistant, I also say thank you.
Although our workload at the Chambers is very heavy and our resources are inadequate, our collective commitment is without question.
3. The Honourable Delroy Chuck, QC, MP, Minister of Justice is most congenial and collegiate. It is a delight to have him as my Minister. Within the Cabinet, I appreciate
his fierce defence of the people who work within the various departments of the Ministry of Justice. It is a real pleasure to work alongside him.
4. I also want to express my gratitude to the Close Protection Officers (CPOs) assigned to me. I commend them for the high level of professionalism with which they discharge their duties, and for going beyond those duties, to ensure my safety and comfort on our regular commutes between the constituency in St James and the Chambers and Parliament here in the Corporate Area.
5. Mr Speaker- My last presentation gave rise to numerous questions in the court of public opinion about the role of the Attorney General and in particular, how I, as current holder of the office, discharge my duties. I was even depicted in cartoon-land as the gun-wielding vigilante, on the verge of shredding the Constitution to pieces.
Those who harbour doubt about my personal unwavering commitment to ensure that the machinery of Government acts lawfully and legitimately really should get
to know me better.
6. Admittedly, as a non-minister, the Attorney General is in a somewhat anomalous place in these debates. Notwithstanding, I welcome the opportunity to speak to pertinent issues relating to the Chambers. I should very much like to use it to shed further light on the role of the Attorney General, beyond what is generally accepted and readily understood.
The Role of the Attorney General:
7. The role of Attorneys General was specifically addressed at a meeting of Law Ministers and Attorneys General of Small Commonwealth Jurisdictions, which I attended, in September 2016, in London, England.