The Legislative Council consisted of eighteen members appointed by the Governor after consultation with persons speaking for the differing political points of view of groups represented in the House of Representatives, and two or three members nominated by the Premier. The Legislative Council was essentially a revisionary Chamber with powers to delay bills for a limited period of time. The House of Representatives consisted of forty-five members elected by universal adult suffrage. The constitution established Judicial Service, Public Service and Police Service Commissions with executive responsibility for appointments, discipline and dismissals in the Services for which they were responsible. Officers in the Public Service and the Police Service against whom disciplinary action was taken had the right of appeal to the Privy Council. Judicial officers had no right of appeal to the Privy Council. Judges of the Supreme Court could be removed from office only on the advice of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Britain after investigation by a locally-appointed Judicial tribunal. As a result of the Referendum held on 19th September 1961, Jamaica applied for withdrawal from the West Indies Federation to seek independence alone in 1962. At a Conference held in Lancaster House in February 1962 full agreement was reached between the British and Jamaican delegations on the date for Jamaican independence and on the form and content of the new constitution. Jamaica became an independent sovereign country and a Member of the Commonwealth on 6th August 1962. CONSTITUTION The Constitution of Jamaica, contained in the Jamaica (Constitution) Order in Council, 1962, provides for a Governor-General appointed by Her Majesty The Queen and for a bi-cameral Legislature. The Senate consists of 21 Senators appointed by the Governor-General, 13 on the advice of the Prime Minister and 8 on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition. The House of Representatives consists of 53 elected members, but provision is made for an increase up to 60 members. The President and Deputy President of the Senate and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives are elected, respectively, by the Senate and the House of Representatives from within their own membership. The qualification for appointment to the Senate or for election to the House of Representatives is to be a citizen of Jamaica or another Commonwealth country of the age of 21 or more and to have been ordinarily resident in Jamaica for the immediately preceding twelve months. It is provided that persons holding or acting in public offices, judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal and persons of unsound mind, are disqualified for appointment to the Senate or election to the House of Representatives. Apart from certain entrenched provisions, the Constitution may be amended by a majority of all the members of each House. There are ordinarily entrenched and specially entrenched provisions. The first group may be amended by an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of all the members of each House, provided that there shall be a period of three months between the introduction of the Bill seeking to amend the Constitution and the commencement of the debate on it in the House of Representatives and a further period of three months between the conclusion of that debate and the passing of the Bill by the House. The specially entrenched provisions (which relate to the legal force of the Constitution, Parliament, Sessions of Parliament, the Prorogation and Dissolution of Parliament, General Elections and the appointment of Senators, and the Executive Authority of Jamaica, and which include the section providing for the alteration of the Constitution) may be amended by the same procedure as that required for the ordinarily entrenched provisions with the additional requirement that such amendment shall be approved by the electorate by referendum. Should the Senate not approve a Bill amending any of the specially entrenched provisions by a two-thirds majority of all its members the matter may be referred to the electorate by referendum in which case a majority of two-thirds of the electorate voting shall be required before the Bill may be presented to the Governor-General for assent. As regards any ordinarily entrenched provision the required majority is three-fifths of the electorate voting. The Privy Council consisting of six members appointed by the GovernorGeneral after consultation with the Prime Minister, of whom at least two are persons who hold or have held public office, advises the Governor-General on the exercise of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy and on appeals on disciplinary matters from the three Service Commissions. The Governor-General appoints as Prime Minister the member of the House of Representatives who, in his judgement, is best able to command the support of the majority of the members of the House. The Governor-General also appoints the Leader of the Opposition. Executive responsibility rests with a Cabinet consisting of the Prime Minister and not less than eleven other Ministers. Not less than two, nor more than three, Ministers (without Portfolio) may be members of the Senate. The Governor-General is required to act on the advice of the Cabinet except in respect of any function conferred upon him in his discretion or any function exercisable on the advice or recommendation of, or after consultation with, persons or authorities other than the Cabinet. Provision is made for the appointment of an Attorney-General, a Director of Public Prosecutions, an Auditor-General, a Public Service Commission, a Police Service Commission and a Judicial Service Commission. There is a Supreme Court and a Court of Appeal. The President of the Court of Appeal and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court are appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. HISTORICAL LIST OF GOVERNORS-GENERAL Sir Kenneth Blackburne, GBE, KCMG (later GCMG), 6th August 1962 to 30th November 1962 Sir Clifford Campbell, GCVO, GCMG, from 1st December 1962 HISTORICAL LIST OF MINISTRIES Sir Alexander Bustamante, 6th August 1962 to 21st February 1967 Hon. D. B. Sangster (Sir Donald Sangster, KCMG, from 7th April 1967), February Hon. H. L. Shearer from 11th April 1967 (Rt. Hon. H. L. Shearer, PC from 6th GOVERNMENT After the election held on 21st February 1967 the composition of the political parties in the House of Representatives was: Jamaica Labour Party 33 seats, People's National Party 20 seats. GOVERNOR-GENERAL His Excellency Sir Clifford Campbell, GCMG, GCVO CABINET Prime Minister, Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Defence: Minister of Trade and Industry: The Hon. R. C. Lightbourne Minister of Finance and Planning: The Hon. E. P. G. Seaga Minister of Communications and Works: The Hon. N. C. Lewis Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs: The Hon. V. B. Grant, Qc PARLIAMENTARY SecretarIES Ministry of Education: Senator Dr A. E. Burt and A. H. Williams Ministry of Labour and National Insurance: Mrs Esme M. Grant SENATE President: Senator The Hon. George S. Ranglin Speaker: Hon. E. C. L. Parkinson, QC JUDICIARY Chief Justice: The Hon. Sir Herbert Duffus President of the Court of Appeal: The Hon. Sir Cyril Henriques, CBE Members of the Court of Appeal Mr. Justice G. E. Waddington Mr. Justice H. J. Shelley Puisne Judges: Senior Puisne Judge (Acting): Hon. Mr Justice K. G. Smith Hon. Mr Justice A. M. Edun Hon. Mr Justice C. H. Graham-Perkins Hon. Mr Justice H. S. Grannum Hon. Mr Justice V. L. Lopez MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Permanent Secretary: J. M. Lloyd, CMG MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Permanent Secretary: J. H. Clerk MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND PLANNING Financial Secretary: P. W. Beckwith, OBE Accountant-General: W. C. Jervis, MBE Collector-General: O. C. Buckley, OBE Commissioner of Income Tax: A. F. Smith Manager, Government Savings Bank: (Acting) C. A. Hudson Director, Central Planning Unit: Dr G. G Bonnick Director of Statistics: Dexter Rose Government Town Planner: D. McLaren Director of Geological Surveys: H. R. Versey MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY Permanent Secretary: H. S. Walker Chief Engineer, Electricity Division, W. M. Howell Trade Administrator: W. T. Miller Commissioner of Mines: (Acting) W. Gillett-Chambers MINISTRY OF EDUCATION Permanent Secretary: A. W. G. Shaw Director, Institute of Jamaica: C. Bernard Lewis, OBE Director, Jamaica Library Service: Mrs J. L. MINISTRY OF PUBLIC UTILITIES AND Permanent Secretary: W. McDonald MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND Permanent Secretary: A. P. Clerk Director of Prisons: Lt.-Col. G. Mignon MINISTRY OF HEALTH Permanent Secretary: H. H. Haughton Chief Medical Officer: Dr Samuel Street Registrar- General: (Acting) G. C. Pantry Senior Medical Office, Bellevue Hospital: Dr V. Williams Government Archivist: Clinton Black Government Chemist: Dr A. C. Ellington MINISTRY OF LABOUR Permanent Secretary: Major E. H. Grell MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES Permanent Secretary: R. T. Cousins Commissioner of Valuations: W. C. Chang Manager, Agricultural Credit Board: (acting) Clarence Belnavis Registrar of Co-operatives: J. W. Kirlew MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS Permanent Secretary: I. Lloyd Collins Government Printer: C. S. Markland MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS Permanent Secretary: O. H. Goldson Harbour Master: Capt. S. H. Willers Postmaster-General: Winston Brown Supervisor of Traffic and Transport: E. A. Marshall MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT Permanent Secretary: N. O. Glegg Secretary, Board of Supervision: (acting) Mrs P. Constantine MINISTRY OF LEGAL AFFAIRS Permanent Secretary: N. A. Tomlinson Director of Public Prosecutions: J. M. Kerr Administrator-General: Louis Mendes Crown Solicitor: V. K. G. McCarthy Trustee in Bankruptcy: E. S. Hall MINISTRY OF RURAL LAND Permanent Secretary: Deryck Dyer Chairman, Yallahs Valley Land Authority: Commissioner of Lands: C. C. Langford DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION JAMAICAN HIGH COMMISSIONERS IN OTHER COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES Britain: Sir H. L. Lindo, CMG (High Commissioner); Canada: V. H. McFarlane, CBE (High Commissioner); Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana and Barbados: I. S. DeSouza, OBE (High Commissioner) (and Commissioner to the Associated States) (resident in Port of Spain) JAMAICAN REPRESENTATIVES IN NONCOMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES Argentina (Ambassador) (resident in New York); France (Ambassador) (resident in London); Germany (Ambassador) (resident in London); Mexico (Ambassador) (resident in Washington); Permanent Mission to the European Office and Specialised Agencies at the United Nations, Geneva (Permanent Representative); Mission to the European Economic Community, Brussels (Minister Counsellor); United Nations (Permanent Representative); United States (Ambassador); Venezuela (Ambassador) (resident in Port of Spain); Yugoslavia (Ambassador (resident in Geneva); Panama (Ambassador) (resident in Ottawa). COMMONWEALTH HIGH COMMISSIONERS IN JAMAICA Britain: J. Dalton Murray, CмG; Canada: Agha Hilaly (resident in Washington); K KENYA ENYA has a total area of 224,960 square miles, including 5,171 square miles of water. The territory lies astride the equator and extends from the Indian Ocean in the east to Uganda in the west, from Tanzania in the south to Ethiopia and Sudan in the north, while the north-east frontier runs with Somalia. Physically, Kenya may be divided into four areas. The north-east is an arid plain, mostly covered with thorn bushes, less than 2,000 feet above sea level, with a small nomadic population; the south-east is similar but practically uninhabited except along the banks of the Tana River and in the coastal strip and the Taita Hills, which rise to 7,000 feet above sea level, and where the rainfall is adequate. The north-west is also generally low and arid, but includes Lake Rudolf (160 miles long), and many mountains, including Nyiru (9,200 feet). The south-west quarter, in which 85 per cent of the population and practically all the economic production is concentrated, comprises a plateau rising to 10,000 feet, and includes Mount Kenya (17,058 feet), Mount Elgon (14,178 feet) and the Aberdare Range (13,104 feet). Much of the area between 7,000 and 11,000 feet above sea level (some 5,000 square miles) is forest. The plateau is bisected from north to south by a part of the Great Rift Valley, thirty to forty miles wide and 2,000 to 3,000 feet below the plateau on either side. The Rift floor rises from 1,280 feet above sea level at Lake Rudolf to 7,000 feet near Naivasha, and falls again to 2,000 feet at Lake Natron. West of the Rift the plateau falls to Lake Victoria (3,720 feet above sea level) and eastward the Tana (length 440 miles) and Athi (length 340 miles) rivers flow to the Indian Ocean. The Athi river changes its name to the Galana at Tsavo. Neither river is navigable except by local craft. Rainfall in Kenya ranges from a mean annual figure of 6 inches at Lodwar to 58 inches at Kisumu. There is a fairly close inverse correlation between altitude and temperature: at Mombasa, 53 feet above sea-level, the mean annual temperature is 27°C (80°F); at Nairobi, the capital, 5,495 feet, 19°C (67° F); on the equator at 9,062 feet, the mean temperature is 13°C (56°F). Glaciers are found on Mount Kenya down to 15,000 feet above sea level. The population of Kenya at the 1962 census was, in round figures, 86,636,000; at 30th June 1968 the estimated population had increased to 10,209,000. The statistics for population by race are: |