Golding urges constitutional reform, national unity in Independence Day message

Jamaica's Opposition Leader Mark Golding has reignited calls for comprehensive constitutional reform, urging the nation to sever its final ties to the British monarchy and establish an independent judicial system.

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it is time to come together to fully decolonise our 1962 constitution so that our head of state is no longer a foreign monarch and our final court is no longer the colonial vestige of that monarch, but is an institution of judicial excellence that has been deliberately fashioned to be accessible to our people and to ensure its independence from political interference.

In his Independence Day message, Golding stressed the need to replace the British monarch as Jamaica's head of state and to create a final court of appeal that is "deliberately fashioned to be accessible to our people and to ensure its independence from political interference." He described the current system as a "colonial vestige" that hinders the country's full decolonization.

Golding articulated a vision of holistic independence, which he stated encompasses a robust and well-balanced economy where merit, innovation, and integrity are paramount. He believes success should be determined by individual application rather than circumstances of birth. This vision also requires sound, accountable governance and unwavering respect for the rule of law.

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A holistic vision of independence entails a society in which our economy is well-balanced and strong, where talent and application are rewarded, where innovation is encouraged, where integrity is embraced as a core principle of personal identity and of national development, and where success is determined by merit rather than one’s circumstances.

"The work to build it is a shared responsibility of all of us," Golding asserted, calling for a united front involving the government, opposition, business sector, trade unions, churches, civil society, and families. He stressed that achieving national goals and building the desired Jamaica requires an "authentic embrace of unity as the balm" and a national development strategy firmly rooted in these principles.

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And perhaps most of all, it requires a strategy of national development that is firmly anchored in these principles. That is the Jamaica we should strive to build. And the work to build it is a shared responsibility of all of us.