The Constitution: It reflects a stable democracy
In the 1930s, the Right Excellent Marcus Garvey envisioned what he wanted for Jamaica. According to the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), he wrote in an editorial printed in his newspaper, “We want the spirit of national comradeship ... Let us unite to accomplish this and Jamaica shall indeed become a better place for all of us.”
In the early 1960s, Garvey’s vision was made a reality by the founding fathers, the Right Excellent Norman Manley and the Right Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante, and the Joint Independence Constitution Committee which crafted the constitution before Jamaica gained her independence on August 6, 1962. According to a JIS article, 'The Architects of the Jamaican Constitution', the constitution was crafted based on the philosophies of the founding fathers and members of the joint committee.
As far as Sunday Gleaner columnist Martin Henry is concerned, the constitution reflects British traditions mainly because some of the main players were trained in the British system.
“It is very clear from the deliberation, that they wanted to establish a legal framework in which Jamaicans could be secured under law, and they were mimicking the British system of law and government ... However, Britain does not have a written constitution,” he explained.
Before the joint committee was formed, Jamaica had to fight hard to be extricated from the West Indies Federation because “The initial move was for the entire British West Indies to become independent as a block under the West Indies Federation” Henry said. He credits the joint committee for the short period in which Jamaica gained independence after the September 1961 referendum which extricated Jamaica from the West Indies Federation.
According Henry, one of the things that the constitution has achieved is a stable democracy. “Jamaica has never had a threat to the state or the government by internal force, in the form of a coup or otherwise. We have had peaceful change of government between political parties very peacefully over the years,” he added.
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