‘It’s broken English’: Jamaica’s ministers joust over language ban in parliament
Natricia Duncan and Anthony Lugg in Kingston
The parliamentary rule that only English – and not Jamaican – is allowed has reignited debate about language, legitimacy, and postcolonial identity When MP Nekeisha Burchell stood up to give her maiden speech, she was keenly aware of how much Jamaica’s parliament mirrored the Westminster version, thousands of miles away in London. As in the UK, the session on 12 May had started with the arrival of the ceremonial mace – a five-and-a-half foot ornamented silver staff representing the British monar