No consensus on whether Jamaicans in the diaspora can hold public office

By Nakinskie Robinson   

 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamina Johnson Smith says there is no consensus on the longstanding issue of whether members of the Jamaican diaspora can hold public office.

 

The matter, which has been at the centre of public debate throughout the constitutional reform process, was again highlighted during Wednesday morning's post Cabinet press briefing which coincided with the 10th biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference in St. James.

 

Minister Johnson Smith contends that the matter is not just contentious locally but that there are mixed opinions within the Jamaican diaspora.

 

"There are diasporons who believe that they should be a part of government; they're able to serve at every level and in every way in their country of birth. And then there are diasporons who believe that if they have moved away, that they should not; that they serve in different ways," she explained. 

 

"It's a constitutional issue and I'm sure it's an issue that will also be discussed by the CRC panel later because it is grounded in the Constitution, how it defines eligibility to serve. And it is a matter that has actually been considered by the CRC. So I think that if you consider the constitutional perspective, that is a discussion which continues locally and in the diaspora," added the minister.