That Sir Kenneth Hall is being forced to relinquish the office of governor general because of, as Prime Minister Bruce Golding reported, ill health, is of itself sad news.

For Sir Kenneth to have taken this step suggests an impairment or deterioration of his health to such a degree that for a man of his stamina and sharp intellect, he no longer feels that he can serve to the fullest capacity deserved by the office and do it justice. For it is, indeed, like Sir Kenneth to demand of himself the highest quality of performance in a constant drive for excellence on behalf of the Jamaican and Caribbean people.

We are also disappointed in his pending departure for the fact that his tenure was too short, and its timing too peculiar for him to bring his special skills and insights to bear on the job and to help shape and define what is still an emerging role of the Jamaican governor general.

Titular head of state

Essentially, the governor general is the titular head of state, representing the Queen, with most of his functions defined by the Constitution. Probably the most important of these is the appointment of a prime minister from members of the House of Representatives, who, "in his judgement, is best able to command the confidence of the majority of members of that House".

But in recent decades, though, the role of the governor general, or interpretation thereof, has, by political consensus and convention, been expanding beyond those narrowly declared in the Constitution. Perhaps the most critical example of this is the law, and more important, its wide acceptance, that it is the governor general who appoints the independent and majority members of the Electoral Commission.

None of these emerged during Sir Kenneth's watch, having happened during the long tenure of predecessors who helped establish in the office the trust, respect and independence that is necessary for such Constitutional evolution. Sir Kenneth's three years would have included the retirement of one prime minister, who was succeeded by a member of the same party and a general election, leading to a change of government.

It largely was a period of adjustment, rather than one in which big Constitutional or political issues were at the centre, except for the ruffles of the Vasciannie affair.

Intellectual pursuits

Hopefully, Sir Kenneth's departure from King's House will herald an improvement in his health, and with it a rejuvenation of intellectual pursuits. He is only 67 and in that regard, we look forward to his writing on the prospects for the evolution of the role of the governor general, and perhaps the perspectives that influenced his decisions on the Vasciannie issue.

By the same token we look forward to Sir Kenneth's successor, Dr Patrick Allen, the Seventh-day Adventist church leader and academic. On the face of it, he is likely to bring new philosophical perspectives to the role of governor general.

But like his predecessors, we expect that Dr Allen will perform with decency and distinction and with one thing foremost in his mind: the interest of the Jamaican people. At only 58, he could have a long time to continue defining the job to meet 21st century realities.

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