Dear Editor,

The dominant characteristics of Jamaica’s political institutions is the sovereignty of its constitution; in other words, our constitution is the supreme law of the land that all, especially parliamentarians who swore to uphold the constitution, should respect and obey.

Although parliamentarian Daryl Vaz has not denied that Opposition candidate in the St Mary South Eastern by-election Dr Shane Alexis is qualified to be elected to Parliament under the constitution, he seeks to influence public opinion against the election of Dr Alexis because he is not a Jamaican and has not taken steps to be a Jamaican to show allegiance to Jamaica.

We are ruled by law and not by public opinion or the wishes of anyone, including Daryl Vaz, a parliamentarian, who has never sought to change the constitution, but is now conveniently forgetting that he is a lawmaker sworn to uphold the constitution and not sworn to do his best for his party by playing on the emotions of electors to garner votes against Dr Alexis. His duty as a parliamentarian far transcends his duty to his party; he and no one else can deny.

The conduct of Daryl Vaz may be excused because even many judges on this planet, by their judgements, demonstrate that they do not obey the law by delivering verdicts and passing sentence that fly in the face of the law, and even continue to do so at the expense of litigants and the public purse without any sanction although our constitution provides for sanctions.

In the final analysis, after Daryl Vaz admits that Dr Alexis is nominated under the constitution, argument done!

Owen S Crosbie

Mandeville, Manchester

oscrosbie123@gmail.com