Christian Tavares-Finson blasts Golding’s comments on CCJ strife

Government Senator Christian Tavares-Finson has strongly rebuked Opposition Leader Mark Golding's recent comments regarding Jamaica's potential adoption of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as its final appellate court. Tavares-Finson described Golding's position as "grossly premature and disingenuous," particularly in light of recent controversies surrounding the regional institution.

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grossly premature and disingenuous

Golding, who also leads the People's National Party (PNP), had reportedly stated that the party remained committed to the CCJ as Jamaica's final court, even amid allegations of judicial interference, improper panel selection, and internal conflicts among CCJ judges. He suggested that leaked exchanges indicated a healthy openness among judges to express dissenting views, which he argued is foundational to a strong judiciary.

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such healthy openness in expressing contested opinions is a sound basis upon which a strong judicial institution has been built

However, Tavares-Finson vehemently rejected this interpretation. He characterized Golding's attempt to downplay the allegations as "at best, disingenuous" and "immature." The senator asserted that a more appropriate response would be to support calls for a public inquiry into the "very serious allegations" made by the judges themselves. He stressed the significance of these claims, noting they emerged from within the court's own ranks rather than from external sources.

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His comments are both premature and immature because a sober perspective to adopt would be to support calls for a public enquiry into the very serious allegations made by the judges themselves who are members of the CCJ

Tavares-Finson highlighted that the ongoing controversy reinforces the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) stance: any move away from the United Kingdom-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to the CCJ should be subject to a national referendum. He also accused Golding and the PNP of employing "obvious delay tactics" and urged them to prioritize constitutional reforms with broader consensus, such as establishing Jamaica as a republic, while deferring the contentious issue of the final appellate court for further discussion.

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It must be noted that these allegations are not extraneous to the Court but are coming from within. That the Opposition leader has not, at minimum, called for wider ventilation of the issues and an enquiry to ensure that the Court functions as a proper judicial entity should is, at best, disappointing