Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the governments position is that the final court of the country should be a Jamaican court.

There has been much debate surrounding which court should serve as the country’s final court as it moves to cut ties with the British monarchy.

However, Holness, while speaking during a local television morning show on Monday, May 20, said the Jamaican people should decide on its final court.

“We have said it on many occasions, our position is that a final court should be a Jamaican final court. However, whatever ends up being the final court should go through this process of an indicative referendum. The people should have a say on it. That is number one for us; people should have a say,” the Prime Minister said.

Holness added that if Jamaica is having a final court, it should be on Jamaican soil.

“On the matter of the final court, because we are saying this to the people of Jamaica, we also want to hear your view on it. It may very well turn out that the view of the public is that it should be the CCJ [Caribbean Court of Justice], so what we don’t want to do is go through the situation in prescribing to the people of Jamaica to say this is what it is,” Holness said.

“Our position is first and foremost let the people decide. What we would like to see is this, but really, the people should decide. What the PNP is saying is don’t ask the people anything; just go to the CCJ. Let’s be fair, there are many people in Jamaica who have not expressed their view on the CCJ and are very silent about it, because there is a view that is carried by persons who are authoritative in the society but quietly, there are those who might be saying, let’s think about it.”

The Prime Minister said there needs to be a process of public debate before determining the final court.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has called for Jamaica to separate from the Privy Council as part of its full decolonization of the British monarchy. Golding says appealing to the Privy Council attracts exorbitant costs to taxpayers, which he believes is unsustainable.