MONTEGO BAY, St James — Two Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillors, Anthony Murray (Rose Hall Division) and Gregory Harris (Salt Spring Division), who said Thursday that their religion did not allow them to swear when taking the oath of office, will have to await a change to the law before taking their place in the St James Municipal Corporation.

Both councillors had indicated that they would do an affirmation instead of taking an oath but fellow Councillor Charles Sinclair
— a lawyer
— rose on a point of order that those who did not swear would be disqualified from holding office. He made reference to Sections 29 and 30 (c) of the Local Governance Act to support his point.

Councillor Kerry Thomas (People’s National Party, Mount Salem Division) had also decided to affirm during the swearing-in ceremony but decided to take the oath after some coaxing by minority leader, the PNP’s Michael Troupe.

However, both Murray and Harris held their ground and insisted that their religious beliefs prevented them from taking the oath.

“My religious beliefs are dominant; it’s a standard by which I live by and I will not change it just because the corporation and the Act doesn’t recognise that we are in a modern society and these things should be considered,” a clearly incensed Murray said on exiting the council after Thomas had called for both himself and Harris to be moved to the visitors’ area.

Both men had instead opted to leave the council chambers.

“I am a Seventh-day Adventist, I don’t believe in swearing, it’s against my religious beliefs and I will stand by that principle,” Murray added.

He explained that when he had won the seat in 2016 he had affirmed and just recently, during the installation by the Electoral Office of Jamaica, he was also allowed to do that.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation. We are in a society in which religious liberty is paramount and the fact [is] that I am one of those persons who don’t believe in swearing in, and I will not be swearing. There should always be an option for persons who don’t believe in swearing, to be affirmed,” he stated.

Harris had a similar view and saw the setback as a delay in him starting to work for the people of Salt Spring.

“It’s just a delay for about a month, but I want the people of Salt Spring to rest assured that I am here to serve them, I am here to work with them and it’s just a delay; it is going to be sorted out,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The first-time councillor was, however, left flabbergasted as to how such a law would have remained in such a state.

“It’s kind of sad for the situation that there is not an option or there is not an amendment because other laws have been amended before, but for some reason, I don’t know why they haven’t done this one,” he said.

“I am sure that this will be an eye-opener, this will be something that the legislature and the Government will definitely look into to make some amendment to this,” he added.

Murray also expects a resolution to this issue as soon as possible.

“There should always be an option to affirm or swear and so I am going to ask the corporation to see how quickly this can be rectified, so I can take my seat in the council where I was elected to serve the people and I am waiting on that to be done speedily,” he stated.

The issue of the unsworn councillors has given new mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon his first challenge in the job.

“I’m going to take some time and review myself but if it is there are no provisions whatsoever for persons who are duly elected as councillors or in any office in government not to be able to affirm than to swear, which would go against their religious beliefs, I believe that Act needs to be reviewed and the necessary adjustments made to facilitate persons who would prefer to affirm than to swear, based on religious grounds,” he said.

The corporation, said Vernon, will write to the necessary ministry to seek guidance on the matter with the hope that there will be a speedy resolution.

“If it is that there are no provisions for persons who prefer to affirm than to swear, based on religious grounds, that will be very disappointing to say the least and I trust that there is somewhere in some Act that allows us to go ahead with the business of the council by allowing those persons to do so while maintaining their religious beliefs,” he said.