Government Senator accuses opposition of double standard

Government Senator, Sophia Frazer Binns, has joined her colleagues in bashing the opposition's call for a referendum to be used to decide whether Jamaica should replace the UK-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the country's final court of appeal. 

Speaking this morning during the second day of the debate in the Senate, Frazer Binns accused the opposition of a double standard in calling for the decision to be put to Jamaicans in a referendum. 

Frazer Binns also argued in the Upper House that it is important that the citizens and lawyers be given access to their final court of appeal. 

Debate on the three bills to establish the CCJ as Jamaica’s final court started in the Senate last Friday. 

The bills are the Constitution (Amendment) (Caribbean Court of Justice) Act 2015; the Judicature (Appellate Jurisdiction) Act, 2015, and the Caribbean Court of Justice Act, 2015.

The Government will need the support of at least one opposition senator to pass the bills. 

The opposition voted against all three bills in the Lower House.