PNPYO Wants Rejected Impeachment Provisions Reconsidered

President of the People’s National Party’s Youth Organisation, Senator Gabriela Morris, is calling on the government to reconsider adding impeachment provisions as part of the constitutional reform agenda.

She directed this plea to both the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs and the Constitutional Reform Committee, CRC.

The CRC, as part of its report, rejected recommendations for the inclusion of impeachment and recall mechanisms in the country’s new constitution.

This follows a statement by Minister of Legal Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte, defending the CRC recommendation.

Marlene Malahoo Forte, Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs.

However, Senator Morris says the lack of impeachment legislation is a violation of a 2016 election promise made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

This is despite being in office for over 3,000 days.

According to Morris, Holness has not fulfilled his commitment to implement this legislation within his first 100 days as prime minister, as he initially proposed.

She says recent polling suggests that 91.5 per cent of Jamaicans are in favour of the enactment of impeachment laws for elected officials who have been proven guilty of engaging in illegal activities. 

Ms. Morris says the youth arm of the People’s National Party condemns the blatant disregard and dismissal of the concerns of the Jamaican people.