JAMAICA SAYS First female NYPD Commish
IT IS READY
the proposed regional court,” the Observer
newspaper quoted him as saying.
The island can only become a republic
if a referendum so approves. This is
the reason why former prime minister
and elder statesman P.J. Patterson
wrote both parties urging them to work
together and share platforms that would
campaign for a positive outcome from a
referendum. In the case of Barbados, the
governing party was able to avoid such
hurdles because it has 29 of the 30 parliamentary
seats or way more than the
two third parliamentary requirements
to change the constitution. If and when
Jamaica makes the transition, it will join
Guyana, Trinidad, Dominica and now
Barbados in abandoning what is widely
regarded as a break from the last vestige
of colonialism.
Earlier this week, PM Andrew Holness
gave the clearest indication yet that
Jamaica will be a republic in the coming
months. He told a ceremony the time
had indeed come.
“It’s just amazing the potential that
exists, 60 years of independence and the
60th year has generated much interest
in our status as a nation and those questions
will be addressed shortly. I’m certain
those who have ears to hear those
Caribbean Life, D 12 ecember 17-23, 2021
vague terms will understand them until
it is time to have that full and direct discourse,
which that process has started,”
Holness said.
Attorney General Marlene Malahoo
Forte has also said that work to change
the constitution is on schedule “and I
do believe that, in due course, perhaps
early in the new year an announcement
will be made. When we go into
January the time is going to be taken
up with the budget process to come and
then, by the time the budget debate and
the sectoral debate are over, something
concrete will be announced by then. He
(PM) has given instructions to myself as
attorney general and minister of justice
to immediately commence the work of
advising on the work of reforming the
constitution.”
Continued from Page 1
the work ahead is real and daunting,”
the public advocate warned. “It will
require ignoring the loudest voices
that fear monger against any kind
of progress, and resisting a push to
return to failed over-policing policies
of the past.
“There is an immense amount of
work to be done to reimagine and protect
public safety, and I look forward
to speaking with the incoming commissioner
about what the role of police
will be in our city, and how we can create
new systems to make and keep New
York safe without relearning painful
lessons,” Williams added.
Sewell, originally from Queens
and a 22-year police veteran in Nassau
County, has served as the Nassau
County chief of detectives since
September 2020, where she oversees a
staff of about 350 people.
Adams said that Sewell is “a proven
crime fighter with the experience and
emotional intelligence to deliver both
the safety New Yorkers need and the
justice they deserve.
“Chief Sewell will wake up every day
laser-focused on keeping New Yorkers
safe and improving our city, and I am
thrilled to have her at the helm of the
NYPD,” he said.
Sewell told the ceremony, marking
her appointment: “In this city and this
moment, I have come full circle.
“The NYPD has an important role
to play in making our communities
safer, but we cannot do it alone,” she
said.
Continued from Page 1
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew
Holness. Jamaica Information Service /
Yhomo Hutchinson
Keechant Sewell, the fi rst black female
NYPD commissioner, listens
to Mayor-elect Eric Adams speak at
the Queensbridge houses in Long
Island City, Queens on Wednesday,
Dec. 15, 2021, in New York. Associated
Press/Brittainy Newman