Caribbean Court of Justice or the British Privy Council

A debate in the Jamaican Parliament began today to discuss whether Jamaica should implement their own Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) or continue to rely on the British Privy Council (BPC) as the final appellant court. The governing People National Party is in support of doing away with the BPC by obtaining a majority vote of parliamentarians in support of implementing the CCJ as the final court. However, the opposition party's  (Jamaica Labor Party) majority is voicing concerns against establishing the CCJ as the final appellant court, and they go even further by making a suggestion for a referendum so that the people will have a say on the topic. However, this controversial debate presents other piercing concerns that those in favor of the CCJ will have to consider. For instance, a separation from BPC will mean that consideration must be given to issues such as if it is time for Jamaica to disassociate itself from its' allegiance to Queen Elizabeth; dissolving the post of the Governor General; and the abandonment of Queen's Counsel appointments whose designation is regarded by many attorneys as a status of superiority which should not be dissolved. So, as the debate continues, Jamaicans will need to make a decision if they want to continue to be associated with England and its colonial practices or adapt new policies that reflect the countries' independence from the Crown.