THE EDITOR, Sir:
I FAVOUR the creation of the Caribbean Court of Justice because I believe that the region has the legal human resources to effectively administer such a court. Additionally, our value system and that of the UK has also diverged over the years, most notably on issues such as homosexuality, and a local/regional court could more closely reflect our value system.
My only reservation is that we might produce another inefficient appendage to our justice system which grinds so slowly that justice, if delivered, is severely delayed.
It is clear, however, that there is significant public division over this very important issue. This is why the government should take this issue to the people in a referendum. While it may be true that the constitution does not require a referendum, it seems to be fitting that the public decide this issue (this is the difference between a moral and a legal requirement).
I agree with Paul Ellis writing from Trinidad that the A-G's excuse about a "politicising" of the issue is a feeble one. If the public chooses to make a foolish decision because of the influence of politicians (as was the case with the Federation referendum in my opinion), then the public will have to bear the responsibility for its decisions.
We recently conducted an election. It's a pity that we missed an opportunity to include this question in the voting process, as is done in the US. In some US state elections, questions are also included on which there has been wide popular debate, each voter has the ability to vote yes or no on the issue. We could have thus spared the expense of a separate referendum while including the opinions of the general population. We might have even succeeded in increasing the voter turnout!
I am, etc.,
ERIC DORMAN
Via Go-Jamaica
