Members of the Eastern Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists participating in the devotional segment of the Restorative Justice Workshop for ministers of religion, principals and bible workers put on by the Ministry of Justice at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer, is urging the two main political parties to treat the reform of the justice system as a national issue and not to politicise it.

Mrs. Palmer made the appeal while responding to questions from journalists as to whether a change in administration would affect the implementation of the 183 recommendations of a national task force established by Government.

"It depends on whether we have the decision made in the current Cabinet or the new Cabinet," she said in response to the question of delays.

"It is critical for all us citizens of Jamaica to recognise that justice sector reform is not about political parties, it is a national agenda and it is something that we have encouraged the nation to galvanise around because it is our country," she pointed out.

Mrs. Palmer spoke to journalists shortly after addressing a Restorative Justice Workshop for ministers of religion at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, yesterday.

Urgency of the matter

She said, while she was aware that if there were a change in administration, the new government would have to be informed of the progress made, it would also have to be cognisant of the urgency of the matter.

"It will have to be aware of the input of the public into what it wants its justice system to be like, and to recognise that the public is impatient of the delays," she said.

Addressing the status of the implementation plan of the recommendations, she said the ministry was currently working on the modernisation plan and a costing, which would be submitted to Cabinet for approval. She, however, did not say when this would be done.