by Linda Straker
- CCJ Bill was laid in the Lower House of Parliament on 15 May 2018
- PM Mitchell to campaign for a yes vote
Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has given the assurance that he will be actively campaigning to ensure that the upcoming referendum to make the Caribbean Court of Justice be the final Appellate Court for Grenada is not a failure.
Speaking to delegates at the New National Party (NNP) General Council last Sunday, Dr Mitchell who is also the political leader, said that the things being done by his party must be about the good of the country because what is good for the country must also be good for the NNP.
“Our children and grandchildren deserve to have a Caribbean Court of Justice. We have come of age sufficiently. We have to trust our brothers and our leadership to provide justice for us, and therefore I will be campaigning this time,” he told the hundreds of delegates at the party’s first general council since the 13 March General Elections. “The last time my hands were tied, this time it will be loose,” he told the cheering audience.
Grenada is scheduled to stage a second referendum in the last quarter of 2018 on the issue of acceding to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as its final appellate jurisdiction replacing the London-based Privy Council.
Prime Minister Mitchell and his team will lead a vote yes campaign on the CCJ issue which failed to receive the required two-third majority votes in the 2016 Referendum. There were seven bills in that referendum.
Data from the parliamentary election office shows that less than 35% of the voting population participated in the November 2016 referendum.
The CCJ Advisory Committee, which will be tasked with educating the public about the work of the CCJ and its benefits to make it Grenada’s final appellate court, is chaired by Attorney General Sir Lawrence Joseph. It comprises 15 other stakeholder representatives including women, the legal fraternity, the religious community and labour movement. The previous committee was headed by Dr Francis Alexis who is now a member of the committee.
The CCJ Bill was laid in the Lower House of Parliament on 15 May 2018.
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