KINGSTON, Jamaica — On Friday, the Senate passed a significant bill aimed at amending Section 61 of Jamaica’s Constitution, which will remove references to the United Kingdom monarchy from the legislative process. The bill, known as The Constitution (Amendment to Section 61) Act, received unanimous support from the eleven Government senators present, while four opposition senators also backed the measure. However, Opposition Senator Lambert Brown chose to abstain.
This amendment proposes replacing the term ‘the Queen’ with ‘the Parliament of Jamaica’ in the Constitution, signifying a pivotal step towards Jamaica’s transition to a republic.
During the debate in the Upper House, Government Senate Leader Kamina Johnson Smith highlighted the bill’s role in the broader push for Jamaica to become a republic. She emphasized that the amendment is crucial for asserting the Parliament of Jamaica’s supreme authority in legislative matters. “This change reflects our commitment to sovereignty and aligns with our long-term goal of establishing Jamaica as a republic,” Johnson Smith stated.
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Despite supporting the bill, Deputy Opposition Senate Leader Donna Scott-Mottley raised concerns about the timing and approach of the Government’s constitutional reform process. She questioned whether the current timing was the most effective for advancing the bill and suggested that a more strategic approach might be warranted, especially considering the requirement for the republic transition bill to be tabled three months prior to debate in the House of Representatives.
Responding to these concerns, Johnson Smith assured that the Government is advancing constitutional reform through deliberate stages. She reiterated that the amendment to the enacting clauses is a critical component of the reform process.
The bill had previously received approval in the lower house last month.
