ROSE HALL, St James — Legal and Constitutional Affairs Minister Marlene Malahoo Forte on Wednesday told members of the Diaspora that those among them who harbour dreams of being part of the country’s leadership must reside here. At the same time she assured them that there are other ways in which they can make an impact.

Malahoo Forte also spoke of the need to elevate discussions surrounding the issue from the “veranda” level of Parliament.

“When you have the responsibility for leading Government, you have to be subject to the conditions that you create for everybody else in the country to live under. So it’s a kind of responsibility that is so special and unique that we have to be clear about the criteria for holding the office. And this is not to say there isn’t a proper place for all Jamaicans to make their contribution to Jamaica,” she said.

The minister was speaking during a plenary session on constitutional reform on the final day of the 10th staging of the Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference 2024 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James on Wednesday.

She was responding to a question from the moderator, attorney and former Diaspora Advisory Board member, Marlon Hill on whether there is an opportunity in the incremental constitutional reform process to think of other ways in which diaspora engagement could manifest itself in Parliament.

In response, Malahoo Forte sought clarity on why some members of the diaspora are insistent that they should be allowed this level of involvement in the running of the country.

“Tell me ladies, and gentlemen — and this is where our engagement will be better — what it is that is so special for Jamaicans living abroad to be in the Parliament of Jamaica instead of having your interests represented?” she queried.

“I’m trying to understand it a little more, because I know Jamaicans are interested and successive governments have created opportunities for Jamaicans to engage, and the medium of the diaspora conference is one such,” Malahoo Forte added.

Earlier on Wednesday Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kamina Johnson Smith noted, during a post-Cabinet media briefing held as part of the conference, the issue is a polarising one, even among members of the diaspora.

“This has been a matter for discussion for years within the diaspora and there is still no single view, whether among the diaspora or in Jamaica about this issue,” Johnson Smith said in response to a question from the Jamaica Observer.

“There are diasporans who believe that they should be a part of Government, meaning that they are able to serve at every level and in every way that they wish to serve in their country of birth. Then there are diasporans who believe that if they have moved away, if they do not have to bear the consequences of their decisions because they have chosen to live elsewhere, they should not serve in different ways. This is a debate that actually happens within the diaspora,” Johnson Smith added.

The minister said the issue was also considered by the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) during the ongoing review of the laws of the land, because that document defines eligibility to serve.

“I think that if you consider the constitutional perspective, that is a discussion which continues locally and in the diaspora. Then if you consider that there is no single view and, therefore, the conversation actually continues to happen even among those persons who live overseas, you recognise that it is a matter which continues to have differing perspectives, different views, and it is just ripe for continued discussion which is taking place here at the conference,” reasoned Johnson Smith.

The debate over whether individuals who hold dual citizenship should be allowed to serve has recently taken on new life with the revelation that Opposition Leader Mark Golding is British by descent in addition to being Jamaican by birth.

The constitution allows for Commonwealth citizens to serve, but those who hold citizenship in non-Commonwealth countries, would be ineligible.

However, Prime Minister Andrew Holness is among those who have expressed the view that some positions must only be held by those who have pledged allegiance only to Jamaica.

Those watching the issue closely hope it will be definitively addressed during ongoing discussions on constitutional reform.

During Wednesday’s panel discussion, international constitutional law expert and member of the CRC, Professor Richard Albert — who is a Jamaican citizen by descent — spoke of the need for the Opposition and the Holness-led Administration to work together on the issue.

“When the parties are at loggerheads that does not augur well for the future of the reform process. On the committee we work very well together under the leadership of the minister.

“But there have been some murmurs and some rumblings off of the committee that I think are problematic and that we should be able to address hopefully under the leadership of the minister as well as the two principals, the prime minister, and the leader of the Opposition working together to bring the country to where everyone wants it to be, which is to become a republic,” said Albert.