Commentary: British Privy Council judges are tired of dealing with cases from Belize and the Caribbean
Posted by editor on October 10 2009 00:00:00
The headlines for the Caribbean Life newspaper, which is published in New York City, dated September 30, 2009, were: “Clean Up Carib Courts; Jurist”. This article stated that British judges who sit on the Privy Council in London have expressed their frustrations in presiding over cases that come from Caribbean countries.
Extended News
By Wellington C Ramos

The headlines for the Caribbean Life newspaper, which is published in New York City, dated September 30, 2009, were: “Clean Up Carib Courts; Jurist”. This article stated that British judges who sit on the Privy Council in London have expressed their frustrations in presiding over cases that come from the Caribbean countries and colonies.

Born in Dangriga Town, the cultural capital of Belize, Wellington Ramos has an MA in Urban Studies from Long Island University
One of the judges on the court, Lord Nicholas Phillips, went further by telling the Financial Times of London that these cases are creating a financial burden for British taxpayers and it consumes most of their time on the bench. This Lord must have forgotten that it was not the people from these Caribbean countries and colonies that voluntary opted for the Privy Council court but it was a court that was imposed on them by the British for being their colonial master when they were colonies to Great Britain.

For the countries that are now independent, they have the option of making their appeal courts the last court for all appeals or to submit their cases to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for final determination. Countries that are still colonies to Britain will have no choice but to allow their cases to continue going to the Privy Council in London.

Over the years, Belize and the Caribbean countries have been experiencing a significant rise in the amount of senseless murders that are being committed in their respective countries. In all these countries, the punishment for the crime of murder is death by hanging. However, before a person could be hanged, he or she must face trial before the courts in their country and a final appeal be made before the Privy Council in London. Many of these cases that have been taken to the Privy Council, have resulted in the death sentences being commuted to life in prison or a lesser sentence being imposed.

The countries of the Caribbean have made several complaints about the Privy Council rulings but have made no serious efforts to resolve this problem. They have failed to amend their constitutions to make their countries’ appeal courts the final court for the determination of all outstanding legal matters or the Caribbean Court of Justice.

While these countries remain complacent, their citizens are being murdered senselessly everyday in Belize and the Caribbean. The government of Belize is at the brink of completing its constitutional consultations to refer all their cases to the Caribbean Court of Justice in Port of Spain, Trinidad. After this process is finalized, they will go back to the National Assembly to seek an approval to the amendment and implement the change to the constitution. Two of the major political parties in Belize -- the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the People’s United Party (PUP) -- are both in support of this amendment to the Belize’s constitution.

Only two countries in the Caribbean have made the Caribbean Court of Justice their final court for appeals and they are Guyana and Barbados.

I now call on all the citizens of the Caribbean countries to urge their governments to stop being complacent and make a decision on this matter that now requires some prompt action. The seat of the court is in Trinidad which is also a republic and the government of Trinidad, where the court is seated, should lead the way in making the Caribbean Court of Justice the court for all the nations of CARICOM. Trinidad is also facing a huge increase in the amount of murders and violent crimes.

The countries of the Caribbean will have to share the burden of the cost to ensure that this court prevails for their citizens to get justice. As a Belizean citizen, it is hard for me to look at the internet every morning and see the faces of our young children being murdered viciously. Some will say that changing the court arrangements will have no impact on reducing the amount of murders that are taking place in these countries today.

The countries of the Caribbean can also look at forming a Commission of Inquiry with some experienced criminal and social experts to examine the root causes or murders and violent crimes in their countries. Well, what is taking place today is deplorable and is unacceptable to the citizens of the Caribbean and something must be done now.