Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte (left), with Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey P. Marks, during the virtual discussion forum, ‘Let’s Connect with Ambassador Marks’, on Wednesday (April 17) in Washington DC. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
April 20, 2024
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Jamaica should not be economically worse off when it becomes a Republic, says Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte.
Speaking on the virtual discussion forum, ‘Let’s Connect with Ambassador Marks’, on April 17, Malahoo Forte underscored that economically, Jamaica has been on its own.
“It was said during the deliberation process that independence was attained and the monarch left a personal representative in the office of the Governor-General, for which Jamaica had to pay. Constitutionally, (and with) the personal representative of the monarch, we’re left with the budget of supporting that office. Now, please do not translate that into anything about the holder of the office, we’re talking institutionally now,” the minister said.
Malahoo Forte pointed out that the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) has had to consider the provision of Commonwealth citizenship. This is primarily because the citizenship criteria for membership in the Jamaican Parliament is not Jamaican, but Commonwealth.
“The Commonwealth is not limited today to those who had the similar colonial past. It has admitted members with a completely different background,” she explained.
She also shared that under the British Nationality Act, if Jamaicans find themselves in a country where Jamaica has no diplomatic relations, Jamaica, in a worst-case scenario, can petition the United Kingdom government for the issuance of emergency travel documents.
“We will retain that benefit because the British Nationality Act has changed over time. That shouldn’t change because it relates to Commonwealth citizenship,” Malahoo Forte stated.
Meanwhile, she commended the Government, led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, for the work it has done, so far, on Jamaica’s journey to becoming a republic.
-JIS