Full Caribbean acceptance of CCJ key to true regional sovereignty – President Ali says

President Dr. Irfaan Ali has urged all Caribbean nations to accept the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as their final appellate court, declaring that true regional sovereignty can only be achieved when every CARICOM member entrusts its highest judicial authority to the court.

Speaking at the swearing-in of Justice Arif Bulkan as a CCJ judge, President Ali said the CCJ represents the highest expression of judicial independence and regional integrity.

“Guyana is proud to be among the earliest states to embrace the court and to place our full confidence in its judgments.

“We look forward to the day when all members of the Caribbean Community will overcome the constitutional, legislative, and political hurdles that still stand in the way of fully embracing the Caribbean Court of Justice as their final court.

“That day must come, and it must come sooner rather than later, for it will mark the completion of a journey that began with independence itself. When every member state entrusts its highest judicial authority to the CCJ, we will at last release the full promise of Caribbean sovereignty,” Dr. Ali said.

President Ali described the CCJ as a protector of justice, noting that it belongs to every citizen of the region and to every island and mainland territory that contributed to its creation.

“It reminds us that justice in the Caribbean does not flow from a distant metropole but from within the Caribbean itself—from our own conscience and commitment to fairness,” Dr Ali said.

He emphasized that once every member state entrusts its highest judicial authority to the CCJ, the full promise of Caribbean sovereignty will be realized.

“Justice dispensed by the region, grounded in Caribbean values and guided by the collective wisdom of the community,” he said.