The incorporation of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) into each CARICOM state affects both the issues of crime and regional integration. Many feel that replacing the out-of-touch Privy Council with the more practical and home-grown CCJ as the region’s appellate court will be a step towards deterring crime, or at least adequately punish those who carry out society’s most grievous wrongs. In addition, if all CARICOM states successfully incorporate the CCJ, it would be another milestone in the region’s efforts to integrate. The CCJ is an important part of the CARICOM body.

The former PUP administration attempted, several times, to get House approval for the Constitutional Amendment Bill, which requires approval from ¾ majority of the House to replace the Privy Council with the CCJ. Since gaining ¼ representation in the House in the latter part of 2003, the Opposition has not supported the move, despite the public’s call for a change of the guard in the high court.

The last attempt was the House meeting of November 2007, but Opposition Leader Dean Barrow stated that his members will simply not support the Bill.

While in Opposition Barrow and the UDP opposed many progressive ideas introduced by the PUP Government. Now that they are in Government the UDP will eat their own vomit by accepting and practising some of those same things they once called nonsense. For example last week the new Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, actually held the House of Representative’s inaugural ceremony outside the chambers of the National Assembly. Ten years ago when the PUP Government introduced this practise, Barrow  foamed at the mouth and threatened to boycott the session, citing that such a meeting “outside” the House’s chambers was “illegal”.

Why does Barrow now find it useful to break the law (in his 1998 lawyer-opinion) to hold the inaugural session outside? Ain’t that hypocritical?

We will soon find out whether Barrow’s hypocrisy has any bounds? This week he travels to Washington for a “special” meeting with US President George W. Bush. When Bush asks about the country’s anti-drug trafficking efforts, will Barrow mention that as Leader of Opposition and Senior Counsel he stymied US attempts to extradite drug suspects? Will he cite an article in an international newspaper titled “Long Arm of the Law” which was critical of Dean Barrow’s readiness to defend suspected Drug Lords, as if putting self interest before national interest?

Will Barrow even rail up, now that he has the chance, at a former United States official in Belize who was outspoken and once complained bitterly that high profile lawyers (he was diplomatic by not calling Barrow’s name) were always willing to defend accused drug traffickers, making it impossible for them to have a better than fair hearing?

We don’t think so. In fact if last week’s Hollywood-like show of the bad guy playing the good guy’s role, as Barrow did when he held what he had always proclaimed was an “illegal” outside session, is any indication of what we should expect of the new Prime Minister then it is obvious that Barrow has learned new tricks in politics, even if they stink of hypocrisy.

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