Furthermore Mr. Chuck said the Opposition’s lobby was for an entrenchment of the court in the Constitution that could not be removed by a simple majority by any government.

In responding to the concerns raised, Prime Minister P.J Patterson said while the idea that the CCJ in its original jurisdiction only was not the initial intent and there were other provisions within CARICOM to resolve disputes, “the Court in its original jurisdiction would be the final tier.”
Prime Minister Patterson noted, “no tribunal could replace the power and competence of the CCJ in terms of its original jurisdiction as nothing short of a judicial body could give rulings that are final and definitive”.

On the matter of the remuneration for the judges being higher than that of United States Supreme Court judges, Mr. Patterson pointed out that while there was no retirement age for judges of the U.S. Supreme Court who could serve until the time of their death, there was a fixed period of seven years tenure for CCJ judges at the end of which contracts were non-renewable.

Prime Minister Patterson on the matter of the financing of the court, pointed out that the funding arrangements had already been brought before the House for approval in the form of a Government Guarantee to obtain a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank, to secure the necessary financial backing.

Mr. Patterson further noted that CARICOM while not the final “trading and economic horizon” was a necessary step in enabling the combination of resources crucial to operating in an increasingly globalized world paving the way for future such advances. He noted that it was important that the region successfully collaborated, as it would prove the test of endurance in an arrangement such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).