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The interdiction of Dr. Aujae Dixon, who ran as a candidate in the September 3 general election, has reignited a national debate over whether public servants should be allowed to run for elected office.
At the centre of the issue are two opposing views.
Former president of the Jamaica Civil Service Association, O'Neil Grant, emphasises that civil servants must remain politically neutral to preserve public trust and the integrity of the public service.
"The nature of the public service is that it is supposed to present itself as impartial and neutral where politics is concerned. And the staff orders are as clear. And the question also arises as to whether or not it's applicable to a medical doctor. And the test of that is whether or not the post falls under the Civil Service Establishment Act.
"I think when we examine the Section 3 of the Civil Service Establishment Act, it sets out within the framework of a Constitution and the definition of the public service, why these posts were created and classified the way they are. Now, what we are now asking ourselves in the current dispensation is whether or not the application of that rule is consistent to what is in the Constitution. It may not be," he asserted.
Meanwhile, attorney-at-law and principal consultant at Employment Matters Caribbean, Carla Anne Harris Roper, questioned whether broad restrictions on political involvement are constitutional.
She argued that such bans may infringe on basic rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to run for office.
"The real issue is...whether the blanket prohibition was constitutional and whether or not, you know, based especially on our now Charter of Rights, we'd have to look at the proportionality test, you know, whether or not it is demonstrably justified," she suggested.
Ms. Harris and Mr. Roper were both guests on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines on Thursday.
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