PNP to prioritize CCJ as final court if elected – Mark Golding

People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding says the party will make Jamaica’s full accession to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) a top priority if it returns to government after the next general election.

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Speaking Thursday night at a public meeting in Brown’s Town, St Ann, Golding said the issue of the country’s final appellate court is central to achieving full sovereignty and meaningful constitutional reform. He said the PNP remains committed to replacing the UK-based Privy Council—the highest court of appeal for Jamaica since independence—with the CCJ.

Currently, Jamaica’s final appeals are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. Golding argued this arrangement is inaccessible for most Jamaicans, citing the high costs and the need for UK visas as major barriers.

“Nobody in this audience can take a case to the Privy Council,” Golding said. “It is not a real court for Jamaica because you have to be a multi-millionaire to take a case there, and you have to have a UK visa as well.”

The switch to the CCJ, which was established two decades ago, is seen by many legal experts and regional leaders as a crucial step toward full judicial independence. The CCJ sits within the Caribbean region, offers more affordable and accessible justice, and is shielded from political interference through its regional judicial commission.

Golding pointed out that the CCJ currently serves as the final appellate court for several Caribbean nations, including Guyana, Barbados, St Lucia, Dominica, and Belize, providing their citizens with closer and more culturally relevant access to justice.

“This is about full sovereignty, full independence, and decolonisation—and we want it now,” Golding said. He also expressed disappointment that the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has resisted making the CCJ the final court at the same time Jamaica moves to become a republic.

He said it was ironic that it was former JLP Prime Minister Hugh Shearer who first floated the idea of a regional final court in the early 1970s.

The People’s National Party leader withdrew the party’s representatives from the Joint Select Committee reviewing the Constitution (Amendment) Republic Bill earlier this year over the issue, signaling that the CCJ’s acceptance remains a non-negotiable part of the PNP’s vision for Jamaica’s future legal framework.