FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Even though Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert resigned as Member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern and Speaker of
the House more than a year ago, the leadership of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) refuses to let her go.

According to JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang, while he is handling administrative affairs Dalrymple-Philibert is still in charge of the constituency.

He was speaking with the media on the sidelines of the JLP’s Falmouth divisional conference at the town’s all-age school Sunday evening.

“Currently, we continue to serve the constituency through the established means that is allowed by Parliament in which the prime minister designates someone to handle regular operations [so] that the constituents are not removed from getting their benefits that go to the MP’s office. It’s not political activity, it’s just administrative work that must be done by an MP, and I have that responsibility as we proceed. Not political activity, administrative work!” Chang emphasised.

“Mrs Dalrymple remains the active political leader of the constituency,” he added.

Dr Chang promised JLP supporters in Trelawny Southern that the party will name a candidate for the seat before the party’s annual conference in November.

“We are looking at it closely and we will be settling it very soon. We don’t want to carry too many overhangs into the conference so we are going to settle it very soon,” he told the media.

Dalrymple-Philibert won Trelawny Southern in four consecutive elections but stepped aside in September 2023, after a ruling by the Integrity Commission’s Director of Corruption Prosecution Keisha Prince-Kameka that she be charged for allegedly running afoul of the Parliament (Integrity of Members) Act, 1973, in filing her statutory declarations.

Last Friday she appeared in court at the preliminary hearing for the matter but the case was rescheduled to October 11.

It is widely believed that the JLP is waiting for that matter to be settled before naming the woman fondly referred to as Mama D as its candidate for the seat. Whoever is named by the JLP will face off against the People’s National Party’s Paul Patmore in a general election.

The PNP has made it clear, however, that they will not contest a by-election if one is called for Trelawny Southern, or any other seat for that matter. Their focus is solely on the general election that is constitutionally due in September 2025.

That is of no matter to the JLP.

Speaking on the political platform Sunday evening, Dr Chang said the St Ann North Eastern by-election will be the first in a series leading up to the national polls.

“On Monday I go back to St Ann where we’ll have the first in the beginning of a series to the general election that we will whip dem and put dem back out a pasture,” he quipped.