House takes Christmas break after ‘clash’ of the Vazes
BUSINESSMAN Dwayne Vaz was sworn in yesterday as the new member of Parliament for Central Westmoreland.
Vaz, who already faces the challenge of filling the huge shoes left by the his predecessor, Roger Clarke, the late agriculture minister, learnt yesterday that he would have to show the House of Representatives who is “the real Vaz”.
The argument came up as Opposition MP, Daryl Vaz, who has been MP for Western Portland since 2007, walked into the chamber minutes after the younger Vaz was sworn in by Speaker of the House Michael Peart.
The 33-year-old newcomer was celebrated with a hug and kiss from Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, after which he greeted Leader of the House Phillip Paulwell and Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips, before crossing to Opposition benches to greet MPs Derrick Smith and Audley Shaw.
Just as he took his seat in the back row of the Government benches, the older Vaz walked into the chamber to shouts of “the real Vaz”.
Daryl Vaz walked across to the Government benches and hugged Dwayne Vaz, as both sides made sotto voce remarks as to who is “the real Vaz”.
“From the moment him win (his seat), he is a true Vaz,” Daryl said to the amusement of his colleagues.
Dwayne Vaz defeated the Jamaica Labour Party’s Faye Reid Jacobs 8,720 votes to 6,268 in the December 1 by-election to capture the seat previously held by Clarke.
The funny interlude was a fitting prelude to one of the toughest days in the history of Gordon House, as Paulwell sought to rush through an agenda loaded with all the outstanding matters, to ensure that yesterday’s meeting would be the last for the current calendar year.
However, the House Leader’s agenda ran out of time and he had to put off closing debates on the three bills seeking to replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice and a motion moved by Opposition MP Mike Henry or the House to approve the Government’s pursuit of reparations for slavery.
In the end, the House still adjourned to next January, to allow for its annual Christmas break.