‘We are being mocked’
NIA head decries JLP decision to field Dalrymple-Philibert in Trelawny South by-election while still facing criminal charges
Published:Thursday | October 31, 2024 | 12:13 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, who resigned as member of parliament for Trelawny Southern last September after facing eight criminal charges for making a false statement in her statutory declarations to the Integrity Commission (IC), has been selected to run as the prospective candidate of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the November 22 by-election for the same constituency.
Dalrymple-Philibert had omitted a Mercedes-Benz motor vehicle from her filings between 2015 and 2021. She stated that the omission of the vehicle was a genuine oversight “on my part”. The controversial use of a 20 per cent duty concession to acquire the Benz was also in contention.
The former Trelawny Southern MP will return to court on December 6 when Parish Court judge Leighton Morris will decide whether the Integrity Commission’s case against her should be thrown out or proceed to trial.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced by-elections for Trelawny Southern as well as St Andrew North Western, a seat that became vacant following the resignation of Dr Nigel Clarke as member of parliament (MP).
Holness, who is also the leader of the JLP, stated that the “will of the people” influenced the decision to have Dalrymple-Philibert as the party’s candidate.
“By popular demand of the constituency, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert will be the Jamaica Labour Party candidate for Trelawny Southern,” Holness said in making the announcement during yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in St Andrew.
“It is difficult to speak for Marisa as to why she resigned and then she is coming back, and I am certain she will give an explanation, but my own view is that she really respected the perspectives of the public with whatever accusations were laid in the public domain, and she thought it was the honourable thing to do. But I think that she went through the constituency, and people kept demanding that she return, and she does have quite popular support in the constituency.”
By-elections for the Morant Bay division in St Thomas and the Aenon Town division in Clarendon were also announced.
Danielle Archer, principal director of corruption watchdog National Integrity Action, indicated that the decision to allow Dalrymple-Philibert to run as the JLP’s candidate was “completely unacceptable” as the former MP’s criminal charges were still unresolved.
According to Archer, there was a sense of hubris in the Government as it seems to believe that accusations of corruption and or impropriety in public office are insufficient to prevent anyone from holding political office.
“As citizens, we are being mocked. There is no acknowledgement from the Government that any corruption allegation must be resolved through completed investigations or a not-guilty verdict before anyone offers themselves as a member of the Parliament or continues to serve as a member of Parliament,” she stressed.
‘A nine-day wonder’
The Government is counting on the public to view corruption allegations within its ranks as ‘a nine-day wonder’, said Archer, who believes that this approach sets a poor example for young Jamaicans and sends a wrong signal to the international community that allegations of corruption concerning public officials are not taken seriously.
Political commentator Lloyd B. Smith said that while the move might be seen as “politically correct”, the decision to make Dalrymple-Philibert run is “morally incorrect” and flies in the face of better judgment.
Smith said there was the need to set standards, probity, and transparency in government, adding that “what is now unfolding does not augur well for the country’s political architecture because what it is telling the average Jamaican is that no matter what happens to you, whether it is a moral question or criminal question, you have every right to be there because of the politics that supports you”.
When contacted yesterday, Dr Dayton Campbell, general secretary of the People’s National Party, restated his party’s position that it would not be contesting the by-elections for the parliamentary seats, with a general elections due in months, but that, with local government elections due in another four years, his party would be fielding candidates for the Morant Bay and Aenon Town divisions.