PJ PATTERSON LEAVES THE PRIVY COUNCIL

The former and longest serving Prime Minister of Jamaica P. J. Patterson released a statement last week saying that he had submitted his resignation from the Queen’s Privy Council.  This is an honour which is afforded to all the realms and territories who have Prime  to those Prime Ministers and who  have the Queen as Heads of State.  Jamaica is one of them. The duties are not really active and are to be distinguished from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council which is the final appellate body for the Courts of many of the Caricom countries.  It entitles the recipient to make decisions on the death of the monarch to choose the next  monarch.  Mr. Patterson released the exchange of letters between himself and Privy Council. He said that Jamaicans want a head of state of their native incarnation and  in light of that he felt compelled to leave the Council.  The Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness in an awkward moment told the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their recent visit to Jamaica that Jamaica was moving on.  But no one believes that he believes that and that he was only responding to pressure from the Opposition PNP to cut ties with the monarchy.  He has no intention of acting on it.