The People’s National Party (PNP) says the decision by the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to reinstate Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert as the JLP caretaker for Trelawny Southern, despite outstanding criminal charges against her, is “highly contemptuous of Jamaica’s judicial system”.

In a statement Thursday, the PNP said the move “also signals a disturbing disregard for accountability, especially from the prime minister, who appears to be attempting to normalise lapses in integrity given his own compromised position and his resulting inability to impose standards of integrity and good governance within his own Government.”

The Trelawny Southern constituency has been vacant since just over one year ago when long-serving Member of Parliament Dalrymple Philibert resigned after the Integrity Commission’s director of corruption prosecution ruled that she be charged in connection with allegations that she made a false statement in her statutory declarations filed over the period 2015 to 2017 and 2018-2020. That matter remains before the courts.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Wednesday announced a by-election for Trelawny Southern, and St Andrew North Western, sending voters to the polls on November 22. With the PNP already signalling that it will not contest any parliamentary election at this time, it is expected that Dalrymple Philibert will face little opposition in returning to the House of Representatives.

READ: Back to the polls

According to the PNP, “This troubling trend was also evident with the nomination of Kim Brown Lawrence for the Local Government Elections, even as she remains charged in a serious fraud and corruption case involving the Ministry of Education and the Caribbean Maritime University.

“Where do we, as a nation, draw the line? Jamaicans deserve leaders who uphold the highest standards of transparency and respect the rule of law,” the PNP said, adding that it is urging the government to prioritise integrity and act in a manner that “truly reflects its duty to the people and the democratic values we hold dear.”