Overview of the Government of Jamaica
Jamaica
is a constitutional monarchy and is a member of the Commonwealth.
Therefore, the Queen of England, Elizabeth II is the titular head
of the country. She is represented here by a Governor-General.
The Jamaican Parliament is bicameral. This means that it consists
of two Houses, the Senate, also called the Upper House, and the
House of Representatives, also known as the Lower House.
The
members of the House of Representatives are elected under universal
adult suffrage, with a maximum of five years between elections.
There are 60 constituencies, each represented by one Member of Parliament.
There
are 21 members of the Senate who are appointed by the Governor-General;
thirteen are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister; and
eight on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition. The Senate
functions mainly as a review chamber for legislation passed by the House
of Representatives.
The
Cabinet is the main instrument of government policy. It consists
of the Prime Minister and at least 13 other ministers of Government,
whose membership is restricted to one of the two Houses of Parliament.
Not more than four members of the Cabinet may be members of the
Senate. The Minister of Finance must be an elected member of the
House of Representatives.
Local Government
Local
Government is structured on a parish basis, with two parishes, Kingston
and St Andrew, amalgamated and administered by the Kingston and
St Andrew Corporation (KSAC). The island’s 60 constituencies
are subdivided into 227 electoral divisions, each of which is represented
by a Parish Councillor for Local Government.
Brief History
Local Government was introduced in Jamaica around 1662-1663, just
a few years after the British capture of Jamaica in 1655.
The
early form of Local Government was called the Vestry system, patterned
after the form of Local Government that existed in England at the
time. This name came about because a body called the Vestry governed
local authorities. The Vestry of each parish was drawn from the
lay magistrates and the clergy of the particular parish. These Vestries
supported the clergy, maintained the churches, offered relief to
the poor, maintained the few roads which existed at the time, and
maintained public order.
The
Vestries operated in the interest of and for the benefit of the planter
class. By the 1850s their rule had become corrupt and inefficient.
The system was abolished in 1866 following the Morant Bay Rebellion.
It had lasted for 200 years.
It
was replaced by a system of Municipal and Road Boards, whose membership
was nominated by the Governor. The major changes, which took place
in the Vestry system, concerned the number of parishes. In 1664
when the system was first introduced, there were seven parishes.
By the time the system was abolished this number had increased to
a total of 22. Law 22 of 1867 reduced the number of parishes to
14.
Elected
representation was restored to Local Government in 1886 with the
creation of Parochial Boards, which combined the functions of the
Municipal Boards and the Road Boards. During the twenty-year period
between the abolition of the Vestries and the establishment of the
Parochial Boards, there was a significant increase in the responsibilities
of Local Government. Some of the functions that were extended to
Local Authorities at that time were: Public Health in 1867; public
markets in 1874; fire services in 1875; and water supplies in 1875.
Later, abattoirs, building regulations, public beaches, sanitation
and public cleansing and street lighting were added.
The
parish structure created by Law 20 of 1867, the extension of functions
during the period 1866-86, and the creation of parochial boards
in 1886, all created the modern Local Government system that exists
today.
Some
significant developments have taken place in the system over the
last 100 years. These are:
• |
1923
– the Kingston City Council and St Andrew Parochial Board
were amalgamated to form the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation
(KSAC). |
• |
1901
– Port Royal was re-established as a parish. It was re-absorbed
by KSAC in 1946. |
• |
1947
– Universal adult suffrage was extended to Local Government. |
• |
The
term of office of the mayors, deputy mayors, chairmen, deputy
chairmen was extended from one year to run with the life of
the Council. |
• |
1956
– The Municipal and Parish Councils Services Commissions
and a Unified Service for the 12 Parish Councils were established. |
|
