JAMAICA has introduced a bill to remove King Charles at its head of state and become a republic.
Charles is currently King of Jamaica, but the country’s prime minister Andrew Holness is pushing ahead with plans to make the realm a republic.
The Jamaican government announced in February that it had begun the first step in the legislative process of constitutional reform, with the preparation of the Constitution of Jamaica (Amendment of Section 61) Bill.
It said establishing Jamaica as a republic would be a priority over the coming year.
Now, the bill has been tabled and will be reviewed by joint committees, a parliament vote and a national referendum.
In November 2021, Barbados became a republic, replacing the late Queen with a president as its head of state, and there has since been speculation that other countries, such as Jamaica, could follow suit.
Opposition parties in Jamaica have raised concerns over the proximity of the bill and a debate to national elections.
They have also said there are a lack of plans to make the Caribbean court of justice Jamaican’s top court instead of the UK privy council.
Senator Donna Scott-Mottley of the main opposition party also said her party did "not believe you can say that you’re fully decolonised if you still retain the privy council as your apex court".
She added: “You cannot leave the king but still have to petition him when you want justice.
“At the end of the day, this is not about political parties, it’s about our nation. It’s about our people and it’s about closing the full circle of independence for the people of our country."
Maureen Brammer in Kingston said: “The [British are] really not doing anything substantial for our country, so it makes no sense to have them as head of state. Plus, we have it hard to go to England more than any country … so, by all means, do away with the monarchy."
The future role of the monarchy in the realms came under renewed scrutiny following the death of the Queen and controversies surrounding royal trips to Caribbean countries by the Prince and Princess of Wales and Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh last year.
William and Kate’s royal trip in March 2022 to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas was criticised over allegedly “tone deaf” images, which critics claimed were reminiscent of colonial days.
The controversial photos showed the couple, then known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, shaking hands with Kingston crowds behind a mesh wire fence, and standing in the back of a Land Rover.
Belize locals also claimed they were not consulted about a royal engagement, and the couple were met with calls for slavery reparations from the monarchy in Jamaica.
