KINGSTON, Jamaica - An important event is unfolding in Kingston today which, perhaps, may be a defining moment for Jamaica. We hope it is.
The matter to which we refer is the sitting here of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), albeit in its original jurisdiction, which it is to say in its capacity as arbiter of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that established the Caribbean Community's Single Market and Economy, of which Jamaica is a member.
The CCJ's other division is as the final court for some Caribbean countries in criminal and civil matters. In those areas, the CCJ has no authority in Jamaica. For while this country is a signatory to the instruments establishing the CCJ and is fully subscribed to the trust fund through which its operations are financed, we have not acceded to its criminal and civil jurisdictions. There is a lack of political consensus on the issue.