Fuller sworn in as custos of Kingston
BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, February 26, 2010
PROPRIETOR of the Kingston Bookshop chain and Observer Business Leader nominee Steadman Fuller was yesterday sworn in as the new Custos Rotulorum of Kingston, replacing Reverend Canon Weevil Gordon whose tenure has ended.
Fuller's appointment comes at a time when Prime Minister Bruce Golding said plans are advanced to enact legislation outlining the appointment, functions and responsibilities of custodes in a move to grant the 14 heads of Jamaica's justices of the peace (JPs) more power at the parish level.
Governor General Sir Patrick Allen observes as Steadman Fuller affixes his signature to the Oath of Allegiance for the Office of Custos Rotulorum for the Parish of Kingston, after he was sworn in yesterday at a ceremony held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)
Golding said Cabinet submissions, along with the appropriate drafting instructions, have already been prepared for submission to Cabinet.
The prime minister, addressing state officials, business and civic society leaders at the swearing-in of the new custos at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, said the submissions should be on the agenda for discussion at the next Cabinet meeting.
He explained that with the role of the governor general (GG) no longer being only ceremonial, custodes -- who are the GG's representatives -- should also receive similar powers at the parish levels.
"To the extent that we have vested in the governor general these quasi-executive functions going beyond the ceremonial, and to the extent that the custodes are representatives of the governor general, I want to explore the possibility of applying at the parish level what we have done so successfully at the national level," he said.
"In a sense, custodes at one stage exercised the functions now exercised by the Electoral Commission, the public defender, the political ombudsman, the children's advocate, and even the Medical Council of Jamaica, all wrapped up in one," Golding said.
But, according to Golding, despite this, the functions of a custos have never been prescribed in law.
"They carry out important functions but have never had those placed in a statutory framework that lends some clarity to the work that they do," he said.
Golding said this proposed legislation will provide them with some areas of executive authority to ensure certain matters are handled in a way which transcends partisan politics.
In his address, the newly sworn custos said changing times require new strategies and, as such, one area being readily embraced is the Restorative and Community Justice (RCJ) system.
"A key aspect of the implementation of the RCJ is the setting up of Community Justice Tribunals, and to facilitate these, Community Justice Panels will be formed, and it is here that justices of the peace, along with other community members trained in restorative justice will be required to play a significant role," he said.
Along with the desire to bring peace to communities, Fuller said there is an equally strong desire to see the restoration of the city of Kingston.
This, he said, should go beyond the cosmetic and aesthetics, as there are significant and quantifiable long-term benefits to be gained from inner-city renewal.
"The idea that people who live in the inner-city are non-productive and, for the most part, are relying on handouts is very, very wrong," he said. "I am proposing a model for downtown Kingston that will integrally involve those who presently live here."
Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, prior to presenting the custos with the Grand Commission and the Magistrates' Roll for Kingston, lauded him as a man who has spent his life working for the Jamaican people. This, he said, has been done through his service as an educator and as the operator of the Kingston Bookshop chain.
"He was not recommended (for appointment) by luck or favour... if any favour, he was favoured because of who he is and what he has modelled over the years," said the governor general.
BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, February 26, 2010
PROPRIETOR of the Kingston Bookshop chain and Observer Business Leader nominee Steadman Fuller was yesterday sworn in as the new Custos Rotulorum of Kingston, replacing Reverend Canon Weevil Gordon whose tenure has ended.
Fuller's appointment comes at a time when Prime Minister Bruce Golding said plans are advanced to enact legislation outlining the appointment, functions and responsibilities of custodes in a move to grant the 14 heads of Jamaica's justices of the peace (JPs) more power at the parish level.
Governor General Sir Patrick Allen observes as Steadman Fuller affixes his signature to the Oath of Allegiance for the Office of Custos Rotulorum for the Parish of Kingston, after he was sworn in yesterday at a ceremony held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)
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Golding said Cabinet submissions, along with the appropriate drafting instructions, have already been prepared for submission to Cabinet.
The prime minister, addressing state officials, business and civic society leaders at the swearing-in of the new custos at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, said the submissions should be on the agenda for discussion at the next Cabinet meeting.
He explained that with the role of the governor general (GG) no longer being only ceremonial, custodes -- who are the GG's representatives -- should also receive similar powers at the parish levels.
"To the extent that we have vested in the governor general these quasi-executive functions going beyond the ceremonial, and to the extent that the custodes are representatives of the governor general, I want to explore the possibility of applying at the parish level what we have done so successfully at the national level," he said.
"In a sense, custodes at one stage exercised the functions now exercised by the Electoral Commission, the public defender, the political ombudsman, the children's advocate, and even the Medical Council of Jamaica, all wrapped up in one," Golding said.
But, according to Golding, despite this, the functions of a custos have never been prescribed in law.
"They carry out important functions but have never had those placed in a statutory framework that lends some clarity to the work that they do," he said.
Golding said this proposed legislation will provide them with some areas of executive authority to ensure certain matters are handled in a way which transcends partisan politics.
In his address, the newly sworn custos said changing times require new strategies and, as such, one area being readily embraced is the Restorative and Community Justice (RCJ) system.
"A key aspect of the implementation of the RCJ is the setting up of Community Justice Tribunals, and to facilitate these, Community Justice Panels will be formed, and it is here that justices of the peace, along with other community members trained in restorative justice will be required to play a significant role," he said.
Along with the desire to bring peace to communities, Fuller said there is an equally strong desire to see the restoration of the city of Kingston.
This, he said, should go beyond the cosmetic and aesthetics, as there are significant and quantifiable long-term benefits to be gained from inner-city renewal.
"The idea that people who live in the inner-city are non-productive and, for the most part, are relying on handouts is very, very wrong," he said. "I am proposing a model for downtown Kingston that will integrally involve those who presently live here."
Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, prior to presenting the custos with the Grand Commission and the Magistrates' Roll for Kingston, lauded him as a man who has spent his life working for the Jamaican people. This, he said, has been done through his service as an educator and as the operator of the Kingston Bookshop chain.
"He was not recommended (for appointment) by luck or favour... if any favour, he was favoured because of who he is and what he has modelled over the years," said the governor general.