BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) deputy leader for Area Council Four Dr Christopher Tufton has accused the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) of hypocrisy in its handling of the dual citizenship issue, which has impacted both political parties.

“There is a level of hypocrisy that has characterised this dual citizen situation,” Dr Tufton told delegates at the Area Council Four annual general meeting at the Black River High School in St Elizabeth on Sunday.

“How can you on one hand claim to be the protectors of the Constitution, supporting — according to you— the need for candidates to be Jamaicans and not dual citizens, while at the same time there is suspicion of your own candidate and you are refusing to provide information to justify the candidates position, or not,?” Dr Tufton asked.

The JLP deputy leader told the delegates that the party had reason to believe that Ian Hayles (PNP), the sitting member of Parliament for Western Hanover, did not renounce his United States citizenship before Nomination Day for the 2007 general elections.

Since the JLP’s narrow victory in the 2007 general elections, the PNP has filed petitions challenging the eligibility of four successful candidates to sit in Parliament.

The ruling JLP, in an apparent reaction, has filed petitions seeking to remove Hayles and Sharon Haye-Webster, the MP for South Central St Catherine from office.

Already disqualification from court actions brought by the PNP have resulted in by-elections in four constituencies which were won by the JLP.

The JLP’s Daryl Vaz (West Portland), Gregory Mair (North East St Catherine), Michael Stern (North West Clarendon) and Shahine Robinson (North East St Ann) were all re-elected.

In the case of Hayles, Dr Tufton said the Supreme Court, two weeks ago, gave the MP until February 4 to file a defence against the case brought against him by the losing JLP candidate Donovan Hamilton, or present evidence that his renouncement took place before Nomination Day.

He argued that while the party will rely on the courts to find the “truth”, he was calling on all labourites to prepare themselves for a possible by-election.

“I am calling on you labourities, we are going to prepare ourselves because if we have to go to Western Hanover to give the people a chance to decide what they want to move the constituency forward, this Area Council is going to go there to support our candidate and the Jamaica Labour Party,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the House Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert was on Sunday elected chair of the JLP’s Area Council Four, which comprises the parishes of Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, Hanover, Trelawny and St James.

Dalrymple-Philibert, who is also the MP for South Trelawny, polled 50 votes to the 46 received by former deputy general secretary and caretaker for North Trelawny, Dennis Meadows.

She replaced member of Parliament for North West St Elizabeth, J C Hutchinson, who did not seek reelection after serving in that capacity for 14 years.

Other elected officers were:

• former mayor of Lucea, Vasca Brown, vice chairman;

• Colin Murray, secretary;

• Councillor Roger Dowe; assistant secretary, and

• Paula Kerr-Jarrett; treasurer.