Will becoming a republic solve Jamaica’s problems?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Jamaica has been a constitutional monarchy, which means we’re technically independent, but still have ties to the British monarchy through the governor general. That’s a bit concerning, because while the governor general mostly has a ceremonial role and doesn’t have any real political power, their sign-off is still important when new laws and policies come into play.

There are a lot of folks pushing for Jamaica to become a presidential republic. But will this really fix anything? Simply switching the way we’re governed won’t automatically improve things, like infrastructure, policies, or the way we handle partisan politics — just to name a few challenges we face.

A lot of people aren’t even sure what kind of republic they want. Do they want a president who just has a ceremonial role like the governor general, or an executive president with real political power, scrapping the position of prime minister altogether? These are things everyone needs to understand before making a call on this; honestly, a decision like this deserves a referendum.

What we really need to focus on is implementing good governance and stopping the blame game between political rivals. People are tired of the divisive political mindset; we want a system that actually addresses our issues. Changing to a republic could be a good move, but at this point, having a puppet president could do more harm than good. Plus, if we do become a republic, we need clear policies on presidential term limits — two terms should be enough. We don’t want any political party or leader holding the country hostage.

As we think about what kind of republic we want, we should keep in mind what’s important for good governance: accountability, transparency, consulting with the public, and making sure citizens have access to information and can participate in the decision-making process. So, will just becoming a republic really solve our problems?

RICARDO SMITH