In Jamaica, opposition declines to name members to sit on constitutional reform committee

Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding has declined to name opposition Members of Parliament to sit on the Constitutional Reform Committee, chaired by Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte. [...] Opposition Leader Mark Golding, in responding to Minister Malahoo Forte in the House [...] said he wrote to the minister last June, seeking clarity on the work of the Constitutional Reform Committee, but did not receive a response until January 5, this year. "I've written to her to say I would like full and transparent disclosure of which amendments requiring a referendum the government is intent to pursue. I would like to know that before we embark on this committee exercise," he demanded.   Mr. Golding also contended that it is "too early" to be seeking to amend the Charter of Rights, which was enacted in 2011 after what he said was a "decade and a half of development" and work by both sides of the political divide.  [...] Minister Malahoo Forte promised to respond in writing to the Opposition Leader, but not before suggesting that the opposition was seeking to twin the issues of the move to a republic and the move to make the CCJ Jamaica's final appellate court. The minister insisted that the government does not yet have consensus on the final court, though it understands and shares some concerns. She said the Opposition Leader could expect a written response to this effect. 
Read the full article here: Jamaica Gleaner