Nearly six-and-a half years after he was overlooked, Duane Smith is to get his chance to represent the safe Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) constituency of St Andrew North Western.
This was confirmed by the party in a statement on Monday.
The pending vacancy arose on Monday with the news that the current Member of Parliament (MP), Finance and the Public Service Minister Dr Nigel Clarke, has been appointed a Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), effective October 31.
A by-election is an option to replace Clarke in the seat.
Smith is a known factor in the constituency, his father, Derrick Smith, having served as MP there for 29 years from 1989 to 2018, spanning eight terms.
The younger Smith is a three-term Councillor for the Chancery Hall Division that falls within the constituency.
While congratulating Clarke on his IMF appointment, the JLP said it intends for there to be a smooth transition of Dr Clarke’s responsibilities as MP.
“We support his continued service at the global level… Jamaicans of all backgrounds can be proud that a fellow Jamaican who has made his career in Jamaica is being elevated to service in the leadership of a prominent global financial institution. Having Jamaicans in positions of authority and influence in global affairs is good for Jamaica and good for the Caribbean region,” the JLP said.
Duane Smith was being groomed to replace his father, one of the most loved and respected members of the JLP up to 2018. However, Prime Minister Andrew Holness had other ideas back then, as he wanted Clarke in the House of Representatives to become Finance Minister, and chose Clarke over the younger Smith, a decision that left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Smiths and many of their supporters.
However, Holness, according to public commentators and political watchers, has long been vindicated for choosing Clarke, with many regarding the Rhodes Scholar as perhaps the best finance minister the country has ever had.
He has been praised both locally and internationally for transforming the Jamaican economy, and for keeping the country going through the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, Jamaica had the fastest recovery of any Caribbean country post-COVID.
Clarke won a by-election over the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Keisha Hayle, an educator, on March 5, 2018.
