Unity alliance on constitutional reform

FOUR OF Jamaica’s minor political parties yesterday joined forces to form the Jamaica Unity Alliance (JUA), a movement on a mission to broaden the discourse around constitutional reform and the country’s intention to sever relationships with the British monarchy in favour of a republic.

At yesterday’s launch, held at the Medallion Court Hotel, the National Democratic Movement (NDM), the Marcus Garvey Political Party, the Jamaica Patriotic Movement, and UP Jamaica – a breakaway from the United Independent Congress – which is sometimes called Movements of the People, made public their agreement that Jamaica was in desperate need of constitutional reform and offered alternatives to what currently obtains.

“Each party will have their own identity and operations. We are uniting as an alliance around the constitutional change that we are proposing. So you won’t see a cadre of spokespersons speaking around issues such as national security, education, because each party still maintains their spokespersons on different issues. But where the Constitution is concerned, we are going to be strategising in terms of the islandwide education programme,” Peter Townsend, chairman of the alliance, told The Gleaner.

Since inception, the NDM has championed the cause for constitutional reform long before it became fashionable for parties to promise legislation to recall non-performing elected representatives, a fixed term for elections, and the direct election of some political offices.

The current dispensation proposes a right to recall under special circumstances, with the conditions established, and for Jamaicans to choose between the Privy Council and the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Most of the proposals outlined were those offered by the NDM since inception, with some slight modification over the years. Explaining the operating procedure, Townsend said each party would be responsible for different segments of the island in the education process.

“So we are going to assign different persons (within the party) to different areas of the island to get the message out. We are going to put more boots on the ground, both through social media, and physically on the ground, street meetings, going to the markets as well. The leadership will seek to build the alliance network, after which the regions will have their own autonomy. We will also be seeking to establish county committees, and within each county will be a parish committee,” Townsend explained.

Also, Townsend said that within each parish, there would be constituency committees.

“We want to make sure that when the constitutional ballot comes around, the people will know what the issues are. They will know that they should be able to select their senators, elect the prime minister and the members of parliament separate,” he explained.

REMOVAL OF MONARCH

The JUA’s proposal for change includes the removal of the monarch and replaces this with a democratic republic with strict separation of powers amid the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.

The current proposal is for the removal of the monarchy but the retention of the Westminster Model.

As for who would be the head of state, currently, the king is represented by the governor general, who is appointed by the prime minister after consultation with the opposition leader. The GG functions in a ceremonial role.

The JUA’s proposal is for an executive-style democratic republic of Jamaica, with one head of state, called a president or prime minister, who will be directly elected by the people, and with two consecutive terms for the prime minister and five for members of parliament. It also wants fixed election dates for parliamentary and municipal elections - every five and four years, respectively.

Another alliance proposal is for the Cabinet to be headed by an elected prime minister or president and to comprise members who cannot simultaneously be members of the legislature and who must be approved by a majority of Parliament after a confirmation hearing.

The proposal has implications for the establishment of a working government and when it can become functional after an election. It also wants senators to be directly elected by the people on a parish-wide basis, with two per parish, or on the basis of proportional representation.

It wants voting rights for Jamaicans in the diaspora who can vote for the prime minister but not for members of parliament. Bye-elections as a result of death or resignations should be held within two to three months, the JUA said.

Other members of the JUA alliance are not immediately known.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com