Jamaican MPs, Amending Constitution, Pass Charter of Rights

Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Opposition Leader Portia Simpson-Miller

Jamaica’s Parliament passed the long-debated Charter of Rights Bill yesterday, which has been discussed for nearly two decades. The new charter, which will replace Chapter III of the Jamaican Constitution, was supported by 51 members of Parliament in a vote yesterday. The Charter of Rights bill has been before Parliament for 17 years, and provides for certain protections such as those against searches, for privacy and property rights. It is the first time the country has amended a so-called “entrenched” provision of the constitution.