Editorial | Diaspora vote question

Lisa Vasciannie’s recent exploration, in this newspaper, of whether Jamaicans living abroad should have the right to vote in the island’s elections has revived an issue once championed by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, but on which the administration has since been silent – even after the question was tangentially addressed by the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC).

In fact, Dr Holness went further than supporting the diaspora’s right to vote. In 2015, as leader of the Opposition, he urged the then Portia Simpson Miller administration to explore ways for overseas Jamaicans to be given direct representation in Parliament, using France’s approach.

“We have looked at the French model and see that it is quite appropriate, and we will bring it to public attention and public debate,” Dr Holness said at the time.

The Opposition Leader, Mark Golding, has stopped short of supporting giving the vote to the diaspora, but has suggested that they could be more deeply involved in domestic governance, including serving on the boards of government bodies.

NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED

The matter of the diaspora’s role in Jamaica’s elections was not specifically addressed by the CRC in its first round of discussions, except in relation to the eligibility criteria for the non-executive president when Jamaica becomes a republic, and its recommendation for the elimination from Commonwealth citizens of the right to vote and to sit in the legislature having lived in the island for a year.

Ending the automatic voting rights of Commonwealth citizens, as we declared 10 months ago, has the support of this newspaper. That is part of the evolution of our stand on the voting rights question, to include that only persons who are solely Jamaican citizens should have the right to membership of Parliament.

At present, Jamaicans living abroad, if they remain on the island’s voters register, can vote in domestic elections. But they have to travel to Jamaica to cast their ballots, and must vote in the constituencies where they are registered.

However, while Commonwealth citizens have the right to vote and to be legislators, the Constitution bars from membership in Parliament anyone, other than Commonwealth citizens, who “is by virtue of his own act, under acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state”.

This regulation has been an issue of hot debate for decades, causing parliamentarians on both sides of the political aisle to be ejected from the legislature, and to renounce their foreign citizenship to enter or remain in the House.

Most recently, the controversy has impacted Mr Golding, his shadow finance minister, Julian Robinson, and government minister, Matthew Samuda, who renounced their British citizenship. Based on the constitutional provisions, given that Britain is a Commonwealth country, they weren’t legally required to do so.

HOT BUTTON ISSUE

While the matter is a sporadic political hot button issue, its substance hasn’t been subjected to in-depth debate, including of any risks related to people with dual or multiple nationalities being legislators, and the potential for such a person to become the leader of the country.

Primarily, the focus has been on the fact that nearly as many Jamaicans, or people of Jamaican heritage who strongly identify with the island, live abroad as there are on the island.

Those in favour of expanding voting/representational rights to this group usually point to the economic support they provide to the island, including the more than US$3.3 billion, or over 19 per cent of GDP, they send home annually.

In her article, Dr Vasciannie, who teaches international relations at The University of the West Indies, Mona, highlighted a range of obstacles and hurdles that would have to be cleared if Jamaica were to give its overseas citizens the vote. She came down, at least in the short term, in favour of maintaining the status quo.

“Until the costs are calculated and weighed against the advantages, it is best to keep the current institutional and organic linkages with the diaspora in place, without introducing overseas voting at this time,” she wrote.

It is not clear, however, whether in the decade since he made his pronouncement after an overseas trip, Prime Minister Holness still believes France’s representation arrangement for its overseas citizens remains appropriate for Jamaica.

The French allocate 11 overseas constituencies, based on geographic location, to the national assembly. Each elects a single candidate, meaning that 1.9 per cent of the assembly’s deputies are directly elected by French nationals who live abroad.

Additionally, French overseas citizens have 12 representatives in the indirectly elected Senate.

Closer to home in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic’s 2015 constitution allows for seven seats in the Chamber of Deputies which are directly elected by Dominicans living abroad.

These issues are worthy of serious discussion and debate during the campaign for the general election to be held this year, setting them up for deeper deliberations by a recalibrated, post-election CRC.