Dear Editor,

As the eyes of the world turn towards an unpredictable US president, Donald Trump, whose actions are dismantling the relationships between the United States and its European allies, we who live in the Caribbean region, and in particularly Jamaica, need to ensure that our constitutional reform prevents any executive president elected by the people to assume unilateral control of the country.

The American people cannot get rid of a rogue president by recall. In fact, the US Constitution does not provide a process for the recall of federal elected officials, including members of Congress (both representatives and senators). The recall mechanism is a feature of state law and varies significantly from state to state.

The recall process is largely governed by state constitutions and laws. Some states allow voters to petition for the recall of elected officials, including governors and state legislators, through a specified procedure that usually involves gathering a certain number of signatures.

For federal officials, such as members of Congress or the president, there is no constitutional provision for a recall. Instead, these officials can be removed from office through impeachment, which is a more complex process. This process involves a majority vote in the House of Representatives to charge an official with misconduct, followed by a trial in the Senate where a two-thirds vote is required for removal.

For those who are upset with their Republican representatives, the democratic process allows citizens to vote out elected officials at the end of their terms during regular elections, whether every two or six years.

As the current US president uses his executive orders to disrupt the lives of millions of Americans, the citizens will have to protest and pressure their federal representatives to reign in the president or face the ire of voters in the next congressional elections due November 3.

Here in Jamaica, we have seen the weakness of political tribalism, as our Members of Parliament (MP) vote along party lines without consultation with their constituents. Just imagine what our people could achieve if we were to call upon our MPs to meet and discuss what is expected of them in the house of representatives at local town hall meetings?

We need to save our democracy so that despots will not be able to hijack the constitutional rights of the people. Looking on what is happening in the US affirms the Jamaican proverb, “Tek sleep and mark death.”

Dudley McLean II

dm15094@gmail.com