Jamaica proposes bill to remove King Charles as head of state and become a republic

In the first step to remove King Charles as head of state and become a country republic, the Jamaican government presented a bill in parliament to abolish the constitutional monarchy, earlier this week.

Jamaica got its independence in 1962, but like many former British colonies, it retained the British monarch as its head of state.

Although Britain does not have any say in Jamaica's governance, the arrangement is still seen as a symbol of colonial rule. If the proposed bill gets passed, the Jamaican president will become the ceremonial head of state.

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The bill was a response to Jamaicans calling for constitution change, Jamaica’s minister of legal and constitutional affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte, who also presented the bill in the parliament, said.

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“Every year when we celebrate independence on August 6, the nation is invited to reflect on its achievements since independence and what remains to be done, and every year the question is asked when are we going to abolish the monarchy and have a Jamaican head of state,” Forte told the Guardian.

The bill also includes implications for the definition of Jamaican citizenship and the country’s political architecture.

“We do not believe you can say that you’re fully decolonised if you still retain the privy council as your apex court. So you cannot leave the king but still have to petition him when you want justice to be delivered to your people – and the privy council as the apex court is an anachronism in this context,” Senator Donna Scott-Mottley, spokesperson on justice for the main opposition, the People’s National party, told Guardian.

Reactions on bill

The Guardian received mixed reactions to the bill from people on the streets of Kingston.

“The [British are] 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,” said a passerby to the British newspaper.

“I think it’s a good move, but I’m still hoping that we can still be in the Commonwealth,” another one said.

(With inputs from agencies)