Minister
of Justice A.J. Nicholson is calling on young Jamaicans
to see the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice
(CCJ) as an opportunity for them to pursue legal careers
and aspire to positions in the highest judiciary of
the Caribbean.
Minister Nicholson was outlining issues concerning the
CCJ and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)
at a meeting of the Southwest Clarendon Youth Development
Organization on Wednesday, (April 20).
“It is a developmental tool for young students
to be trained in International Law and to reach for
the highest positions in the judiciary in the Caribbean,”
he told JIS News.
He emphasised that the Caribbean Court should be seen
as something that would challenge young people both
physically and mentally to succeed.
Minister Nicholson told the gathering that there were
good reasons to establish the CCJ, pointing out that
it was costly to have the Privy Council as the final
court of appeal.
“Only constitutional matters are presented to
the Privy Council or wealthy persons can afford to approach
the Council and it must be agreed that a country must
find a way to have its citizens obtain access to all
its courts,” he said.
He added that the CCJ would be an itinerant court that
would go to the various Caribbean territories to hear
the appeals, adding that it would also establish complete
independence from Britain.
He
noted that the Court was to be funded by a US$100
million Trust Fund, which was independent of the governments
of the Caribbean nations. Senator Nicholson noted
too that the appointment of the judges would be done
by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission
and not by the Heads of Government.
He mentioned that the CCJ would therefore take over
all the cases of the Privy Council and deal with all
the matters of the Treaty by which the CSME is established.
On the matter of a referendum to establish the CCJ,
Minister Nicholson said it was unnecessary to call
for one. “We can’t call for a referendum
on something that we don’t own,” he said.
Also speaking at the meeting, Karlene Fenton, Public
Relations Officer of the Southwest Clarendon Youth
Development Organization, explained that the meeting
was called to educate young people in the southwest
Clarendon communities.
“We think that as young people, we need to be
aware of these issues. We need to know how they will
impact on our lives,” she stated. |