In Jamaica, government plans to establish constitutional reform committee after upcoming bipartisan roundtable discussions

The Government has pledged to formally establish the Constitutional Reform Committee at the end of the next round of Vale Royal talks expected to be convened before the end of February. At present, there is a stalemate between the Government and the parliamentary Opposition over some prerequisites that Opposition Leader Mark Golding wants satisfied before he names members to the proposed constitutional reform caucus. It is not clear at this time whether the administration will proceed with naming the committee and starting the discussion on constitutional reforms without representatives of the Opposition being on board. The uncertainty arises based on the Opposition’s stance that it will not name members to the committee until the Government divulges details of proposed amendments to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and deeply entrenched provisions in the supreme law. [...] In a statement to Parliament, [Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene] Malahoo Forte indicated that the requests being made by the Opposition could not be accommodated at this time. “We are not yet at the stages where we can provide the details sought by the opposition leader, but we will get there, and when we do, we will make full disclosure and we will invite input. Until then, I have indicated broadly what the proposals will include,” she said.
Read the full article here: Jamaica Gleaner