PNP questions JLP’s selection of ‘Mama D’ to contest by-election

The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) has taken issue with the decision by the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to reinstate Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, popularly called ‘Mama D’, as its candidate for South Trelawny, this despite the veteran politician having a case in court relative to a report from the Integrity Commission (IC).

"This move is highly contemptuous of Jamaica's judicial system," said the PNP in a statement on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Dalrymple-Philibert as the party's candidate in South Trelawny.

In announcing the date of the by-election hours after constituents protested for her be the candidate there, Holness told a post-Cabinet press briefing that by "popular demand", Dalrymple-Philibert was selected as the party's candidate.

"By popular demand of the constituency, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert will be the Jamaica Labour Party candidate for Trelawny Southern," said Holness.

In elaborating, he said: "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," added the prime minister.

Dalrymple-Philibert resigned last September as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Trelawny and Speaker of the House of Representatives after the IC recommended that she be charged relative to making false statements in the filing of her statutory declarations between 2015 and 2021.

A judge in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court is to rule in December whether Dalrymple-Philibert will stand trial in the matter.

But in its statement above the name of PNP General Secretary, Dr Dayton Campbell, the parliamentary Opposition said the move by the JLP to use Dalrymple-Philibert as its candidate "also signals a disturbing disregard for accountability".

According to the PNP, this "troubling trend" is evident with the JLP's nomination of a councillor for February's Local Government Elections "even as she remains charged in a serious fraud and corruption case" relative to the Ministry of Education and the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU).

"Where do we, as a nation, draw the line?" the PNP asked.

It added that, "Jamaicans deserve leaders who uphold the highest standards of transparency and respect the rule of law."

The PNP urged the Government to "act in a manner that truly reflects its duty to the people and the democratic values we hold dear".