FORMER Speaker of the House of Representatives Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert was given a rousing welcome from both sides of the House when she returned to Parliament Tuesday.

High fives, handshakes, hugs, banging of desks, along with shouts of “young and fresh!”, “big move!”, “one more term pan dem!” and “welcome back Marisa” from Government counterparts, greeted her after she was again sworn in as MP for Trelawny Southern at the start of Tuesday’s sitting of the House.

First-time MP Duane Smith, who now represents the St Andrew North Western constituency, was also sworn in on Tuesday.

In a by-election on Friday, November 22, Dalrymple-Philibert, affectionately called ‘Mama D’ by her constituents, was re-elected MP after beating independent candidate Lloyd “Mozy” Gillings by more than 2,700 votes.

Dalrymple-Philibert, who represented the ruling Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP), polled 4,146 votes (74.3 per cent), while Gillings got 1,434 (25.7 per cent).

The seat had been left vacant for over a year following Dalrymple-Philibert’s resignation in 2023 amid mounting pressure in relation to eight charges laid against her by the Integrity Commission (IC). She had also stepped down as House speaker.

Meanwhile, Smith, a three-term JLP councillor for the Chancery Hall Division, stepped into his father’s shoes to become the new MP for St Andrew North Western, following his victory in the November 22 by-election.

That seat had been held for almost 30 years by his father, Derrick Smith, who retired in 2018 and was succeeded by former Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke. The seat was, however, left vacant after Clarke resigned in October to take up a deputy managing director position with the International Monetary Fund.

Smith claimed 1,863 votes (94.4 per cent), beating independent candidate Carl Marshall who got 111 votes (5.6 per cent. Another independent, Rohan Banks pulled out of the election a few days before the election.

Leader of Government Business Edmund Bartlett officially welcomed the parliamentarians to the House, noting that Dalrymple-Philibert has not only distinguished herself as a parliamentarian but also a Speaker of the House “and we are anticipating a very powerful and strong tenure.”

Welcoming Smith as “one of my other sons”, Bartlett noted that he is “from a stock that has antecedents in this House”, with his father serving as Leader of Government Business. He also served as minister of national security, among other portfolio areas in government.

Bartlett also wished the newly minted MP a successful tenure.

–— Alecia Smith