There is more criticism of how the appointment of Jamaica’s next Chief Justice is being handled.
The Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC) is expressing concern about the process being employed to appoint a new chief justice.
The Council of Churches says it is aware of the importance of this critical office, enshrined in the Constitution as one of the safeguards to protect the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary.
The church grouping says its concerns are predicated on a number of things including that there is a clear vacancy and the country was fully aware of the timeline surrounding the former Chief Justice’s departure.
Also it points out that, there is no precedence in Jamaica for appointing a chief justice on an acting basis.
In addition it says the government should have been clearer in the rationale and terms for such a change.
The JCC also states that the government should have made it clear how long the acting appointment would last, what would be the key performance indicators, how they would be measured and who would do the evaluation.
It further states that it is the council’s view that the appointment of the country’s Chief Justice should never be clothed in any garb that even remotely suggests a catering to the personal pleasure of any member of the executive.
Meantime, the JCC is encouraging the Prime Minister to explore more effective ways of establishing systems of accountability for the office.
It says the Prime Minister ought to steer clear of bringing this high office into unnecessary dispute.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Movement (NDM) is calling on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to issue instructions immediately to appoint Justice Bryan Sykes Chief Justice of Jamaica.
The movement says words uttered by the Prime Minister have sent a veiled message that his administration intends to supervise the Chief Justice and hence fetter the judicial arm of government, which should operate as an independent branch.
The NDM states that, that would be a serious encroachment on the principles of non-interference in the justice system, an assault on the concept of separation of powers, and a direct attempt to subjugate the judiciary which would be contrary to the spirit of the Jamaican constitution.