Dr. Dana Morris Dixon and Abka Fitz-Henley took the oath of allegiance in the Senate on Friday.
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Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, Abka Fitz-Henley, Damion Gordon and Kevin O'Brien Chang
By Halshane Burke
Abka Fitz-Henley and Dr. Dana Morris Dixon have taken their seats in the Upper House as the newest government senators.
Their appointments were announced on Thursday by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
Following an invitation by Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson, both took the oath of allegiance and, with the signing of the register, officially took their seats as senators.
Dr. Morris Dixon committed to working diligently in the service of the country.
"I know very clearly this is not about me, this is about service. I have been given a lot of tremendous opportunities in my life and I believe it is important that all of us in here who have had all of these opportunities that so many didn’t, that we use our skills and talents to serve our country," she declared.
Senator Fitz-Henley recounted his long-held desire to serve in Parliament, noting that his initial interest in governance was piqued when he first entered Gordon House at age 10 with his late father.
"I thought, alas, maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to serve in this chamber. Alas, that day has come, and I will not make a bunch of promises. However, I will say this, I commit to the Jamaica people to, in my deport and energies evinced in this chamber, to do right by our country".
'Wait and see'
Commentators have been weighing in on the Senate appointment of Fitz-Henley, a former journalist and banker Dr. Morris Dixon.
Questions have been swirling about Prime Minister's rationale for the appointments.
The newly appointed senators replace Natalie Campbell Rodriques and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Leslie Campbell who tendered their resignations.
Political commentator Damion Gordon said the basis for the removal of Mrs Campbell Rodriques and Mr. Campbell remains unclear.
He stressed that people who are appointed to the Senate should be able to move the country's legislative and policy agenda forward.
"The fact that they are from a particular professional background and may have face or name recognition, that in itself does not mean that you have demonstrated the capacity to engage with these important legislative, policy development and governance issues in a profound way which would warrant an appointment to the Senate," he argued.
"I’m just generally concerned about how we appoint senators because a senator is a lawmaker and that is a very important function.... It must be clear what is the contribution that those senators will make to the legislative agenda of the country," he added.
Still, Mr. Gordon said he is "willing to allow them to settle into these roles and evaluate their contributions thereafter".
But political commentator Kevin O'Brien Chang has welcomed the appointments as a strategic move by the Prime Minister to broaden the contributions to the governance of the country.
"One is a well-known media practitioner and one is a well-respected banker, so they bring different professional skills from different areas at the service of the country. And so, that is a good thing to me, a move away from the political animal kind of thing to more independent-type minds," he reasoned.
Mr. O'Brien Chang and Mr. Gordon were speaking Friday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.
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