Jamaica's PM appointed to Privy Council

JAMAICA’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has been appointed a member of the Privy Council.

Jamaica’s Information Service made the announcement on Thursday. Holness also posted it on his Facebook page.

That country’s Governor General, Sir Patrick Allen, issued a statement announcing the appointment by the queen.

It read, “Her Majesty The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve that the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica, be appointed a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council.

“The accepted form of address of the Prime Minister as of today, will be: “The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister.”

“The appointment became effective on May 26.

Holness is expected to attend a meeting of the Privy Council, at the first convenient opportunity, in order to take the oath or affirm in the queen’s presence, the statement added.

There are some 700 Privy Counsellors, the Privy Council’s website said.

The majority are senior politicians, including ministers of the UK cabinet, the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the third-largest party in the House of Commons (UK’s parliament), senior politicians from Commonwealth countries, members of the Royal Family, a few judges from British and Commonwealth countries, a few clergy and a small number of senior civil servants.

Prime ministers of some other Commonwealth countries that retain the queen as their sovereign continue to be appointed to the council. which is the advisory body to the monarch.

The queen is Jamaica’s head of state.

The Privy Council’s judicial arm, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which consists of senior judges appointed as privy counsellors: predominantly Justices of the Supreme Court of the UK and senior judges from the Commonwealth, continues to function as Jamaica’s final appellate court.

The Privy Council’s website says the council meets on average about once a month and these meetings are held in the presence of the queen. Only current government ministers attend these meetings.

A full meeting of the Privy Council – that is, of all 650 or so Privy Counsellors – only occurs on two occasions. These are on the accession of a new sovereign, when the Privy Council meets at St James’s Palace, and when an unmarried sovereign announces his or her intention to marry, the website noted.

It also said the taking of the oath ceremony is held in private and concludes with the new member kissing the hand of the queen.

The binding oath dates back to Tudor times –the period between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales, and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603.

The oath obliges them to be a "true and faithful servant" to the crown, to "bear faith and allegiance" to the monarch's "majesty" and to "keep secret all matters committed and revealed unto you, or that shall be treated of secretly in council."

The Privy Council website says "there is a solemn affirmation for those who cannot take an oath."

An e-mail was sent to Jamaica’s Office of the Prime Minister for comment from Holness on what his appointment would mean for Jamaica, but there was no response up to late Thursday.