Caribbean News
Jamaica to Petition King Charles III for Privy Council Ruling on Slavery Reparations
Kingston, Jamaica, June 25, 2025 – Jamaica will be submitting a petition to His Majesty King Charles III, requesting that he refer a set of legal questions to the Privy Council concerning reparations for slavery.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, made the announcement during her contribution to the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 24).
“We are taking our demand for reparations from the United Kingdom for the enslavement of our African ancestors into another phase. We will be submitting a Petition to His Majesty King Charles III to refer to the Privy Council a set of questions that we want answered within his current position as Head of State of Jamaica,” she said.
The Minister noted that the petition calls on King Charles III to seek the Privy Council’s advice on three specific legal questions outlined in the submission.
These are (a) whether the forced transport of African people from their homelands to Jamaica and their subsequent enslavement in Jamaica
until 1833 were lawful, because such unauthorised removal and subsequent enslavement was contrary to the fundamental principles of the common law, and because any local legislation that purported to authorise their subjection to slavery was void as repugnant to fundamental principles of English law; (b) in any event, whether the forced transport and subsequent enslavement of people of African descent, up until 1838, constituted ‘crimes against humanity’ under international law, for which the UK bears responsibility; and (c) in light of the said actions/illegalities, whether the UK is under an obligation to provide a remedy to the Jamaican people for the unlawful transport and subsequent enslavement of African people in Jamaica under British rule up until 1838 and for the continuing consequences of the same.
“This is a legal approach which does not, in any way, conflict with the political approach as posited through negotiation. This legal approach, however, reminds us of a similar approach taken by two formerly enslaved West Africans – the famous Olaudah Equiano, who freed himself by buying his freedom and journeyed to England,” Ms. Grange said.
He became a part of the abolitionist group called Sons of Africa. Equiano presented a case before the courts there in 1777 under Lord Mansfield and won a declaration that slavery was unlawful in England and, by extension, her colonies.
The Minister said the other West African was Lourenzo Mendonza who journeyed to the Vatican and presented a similar case before the Pope in 1684 and secured the declaration that slavery was unlawful.
“Jamaica intends such, by placing these three questions before the Privy Council in accordance with Section Four of the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, which gives the Monarch discretionary powers to place before the Privy Council for advice any matter of constitutional importance that cannot be heard in local courts,” Ms. Grange said.
“We have taken much into consideration, including positions discussed with us by several legal minds. The matter is now with the Attorney General of Jamaica for filing on behalf of the people of Jamaica,” she added.
CONTACT: LATONYA LINTON
Photo Caption: Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange makes her contribution to the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 24).
Fraser Photo
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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