JLP mid-term report card - Three by-elections, one pending

SEVEN MONTHS after the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) was ushered into government with a 32-28 seat majority over the People's National Party (PNP) in the nation's Parliament, a ground-breaking dual-citizenship legal challenge against one of its members of parliament (MPs) quickly forced the party into election mode again.

The party had to oil, for the second time in months, its election machinery in West Portland to return Daryl Vaz to Gordon House in a by-election after he was ousted from the House by a court ruling on the basis that he had American citizenship.

The Constitution of Jamaica disqualifies Jamaicans with dual citizenship from being members of the legislature.

Before the landmark ruling in the People's National Party's Abe Dabdoub versus Daryl Vaz dual-citizenship battle, the fledgling JLP administration had signalled that it would not allow anyone who had been rejected by the electorate to sit in Parliament. Speculation was rife that if the court awarded the West Portland seat to Dabdoub, then Jamaicans would have been sent back to the polls in a general election. However, the courts ruled that a by-election should be held to allow the West Portland constituents to elect their representative to Parliament.

Distractions

With a by-election facing the party so early during its tenure, many felt that this distracted the administration from its core responsibilities of and focus on running the Government.

As if the unprecedented challenge by Dabdoub, an attorney-at-law and one-time JLP stalwart, were not enough, the party had to stave off dual-citizenship challenges to MP for North East St Catherine, Gregory Mair, and Michael Stern, MP for North Western Clarendon. Both MPs regained their seats in by-elections after being ousted from the House of Representatives.

To date, four members of the ruling party have been ejected from Gordon House by the courts following constitutional challenges by the opposition People's National Party. In all instances, up to the time of this publication, three JLP MPs have been re-elected to Parliament.

And the JLP's Shahine Robinson, former MP for North East St Ann, has been the latest casualty in the ongoing dual-citizenship showdown now before the courts.