CLARKS TOWN, Trelawny — In her first appearance on a political stage since her resignation as House Speaker and Member of Parliament (MP) for Trelawny Southern, a little over one year ago, Marisa “Mama D” Dalrymple-Philibert has declared her unflinching devotion and support for the people in the constituency.

During an address at the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP’s) Sherwood Content Divisional Conference at the Cedric Titus Comprehensive High School on Sunday, Dalrymple-Philibert pledged that she will never turn her back on the constituency she held from 2007 up until her resignation last year.

“Tonight I want to say to my family in South Trelawny I will never leave you nor forsake you! And I say to you tonight you can hold me to my word. My word will always be my bond. What it means however, only the future holds, but I will never turn my back on you. “I continue to lean on God’s guidance on my way forward on this political journey. But be assured that nothing will stop me from always being there for my family in South Trelawny,” said Dalrymple-Philibert, affectionately called Mama D by the supporters in the constituency.

“I just want to say family has always been my foundation and family comes first. Family is everything to me. So tonight I want to say sincerely and I want you to listen so you hear. Don’t interpret, just listen to what I am saying,” she added.

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 running afoul of the Parliament (Integrity of Members) Act, 1973, in filing her statutory declarations.

She recently appeared in court at the preliminary hearing for the matter but the case was rescheduled for October 11.

Days after her resignation, scores of JLP supporters in the constituency demonstrated in Albert Town Square in a unified plea for her to reverse her decision to resign as their parliamentary representative.

The placard-waving JLP supporters argued that no other MP has made the representation on behalf of the constituency more than Dalrymple-Philibert.

On Sunday night, Dalrymple-Philibert pointed out, “The people of south Trelawny have held my hand. Them nuh leave me.”

She added: “I am not here this evening as the Member of Parliament, but I stand proudly as part of that constituency and the person who leads the charge in south Trelawny. I am not the Member of Parliament, but I proudly lead the charge for that constituency. And so this evening I use this opportunity to thank the people of South for their continued and overwhelming support of my leadership.

“The people of South Trelawny have been good and loyal to me for 17 years they’ve stood with me in good times and in bad times. They have been with me when we had plenty; they have been with me when we had little. And so I must express my love for them and my care for them. When I sat in Parliament I enjoyed a good relationship with my parliamentary colleagues. But in South Trelawny, what I have gained is family and true friendship.”

Since her resignation, the People’s National Party (PNP) has named businessman Paul Patmore as its representative for the next general election. Dalrymple-Philibert took a jab at him.

“I say to all of Jamaica, whosoever will may come. But I am saying with confidence that South Trelawny will remain safely in the winning column of the Jamaica Labour Party. And I leave it just like that. Because I tell you when we circle each other in South Trelawny you can’t get better than us,” the seasoned politician warned.

She added that her attendance at the conference was in support of JLP leader Prime Minister Andrew Holness; Trelawny Northern MP Tova Hamilton; and Dunstan Harper, councillor for the Sherwood Content Division.