JO - Politicians ought to declare their citizenship status

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer


Politicians ought to declare their citizenship status


Sunday, March 29, 2009


Dear Editor,

Mrs Portia Simpson Miller, in response to Mr Bruce Golding's assertion that the Opposition is trying to wrest power from the government through the courts, said that the PNP "will never take power in this country unless it is by the ballots".

Read the whole letter here.

Snippet(s):

"But this is exactly what they tried to do by seeking to oust Mr Daryl Vaz on the grounds that he had dual citizenship. Ironically, they then offered a candidate who also has dual citizenship, albeit Jamaican-Canadian and a Commonwealth member."

"They will argue that they were within their constitutional right to offer this candidate for MP even though he has dual citizenship, and contrary to the principle on which this whole event unfolded."

"(E)ither dual citizens are accepted in Parliament (Commonwealth or not) or they are not accepted."

"As the purpose of the Commonwealth and its member nations continue to evolve and their personal agendas diverge, there can be no gainsaying the fact that allegiance issues will arise should a person hold dual citizenship involving two member states. This is clearly no different from a Jamaican-American dual citizenship."

"The Government and Opposition must now move with alacrity and purpose and deal with the dual-citizenship issue."

&

"(A)ll parliamentarians should declare their citizenship status. Anyone who has dual citizenship should either renounce it or secede their current position. The ultimate show of loyalty to one's country is to be shackled by the same laws that govern the people one represents."

_____

Jermaine Boreland

jirmz@yahoo.co.uk