Buzzing from being named minister of state in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert is confident that her work will help to improve the lives of Jamaicans.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer minutes after she was sworn in during a ceremony at King’s House last Friday, Dalrymple-Philibert said she was happy that she has been placed in a ministry where the senior minister, Delroy Chuck, is someone she is very familiar with.

“In fact, he taught me many years ago… in law school and he was an excellent teacher. Here am I now a lawyer for pretty much 45 years and I know that I will enjoy and learn much from his experience as the minister of justice,” said Dalrymple-Philibert.

With constitutional reform tacked to the justice ministry following the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) victory in September 3 General Election there is speculation that Dalrymple-Philibert will be tapped to lead this process — which stalled under the previous Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte, who is not named in the new executive.

But Dalrymple-Philibert said she has not yet been assigned that role although she would be very willing to take it on.

“I am entering a ministry where there is a senior minister. This whole arena is new to me and I will be guided by what my minister says and how we will approach it. I do know, however, that constitutional reform, particularly as it relates to Jamaica becoming a republic, is most important to us.

“Our prime minister, the leader of the Government, has indicated that he wants to address this in the immediate future,” added Dalrymple-Philibert.

The five-term MP — who twice served as Speaker of the House — has been named to the executive of the Government for the first time but is confident that this will not impact her ability to serve the people of Trelawny Southern.

“In south Trelawny I don’t have constituents, I have family. They have been my family. I am married with a family and although I have been in the political arena my own personal family has been at the top of the list.

“So although I must do the work as state minister there is no way I am going forget or neglect my political family because it is their trust in me that has brought me to this point,” added Dalrymple-Philibert who resigned as MP in September 2023 amid a damning report from the Integrity Commission.

Having opted not to contest some of the charges she was fined $900,000 for omitting ownership of a motor vehicle in her statutory declaration but returned to representational politics when she romped home in a by-election in her Trelawny Southern stronghold.

She continued her winning run in the September 3 General Election when she turned back the the People’s National Party’s Paul Patmore by more than 1,600 votes.

Following that victory she pointed to her strong bond with the people in the constituency.

“What this victory in South Trelawny tells me is that performance truly matters, determination matters, and really and truly, true leadership is measured by the results and the love that you as a leader have for your people. They love me, but I truly love them. I enjoy serving them and I will continue to serve them because the win for me is not about looking back, it’s about looking forward,” Dalrymple-Philibert told the Observer in the immediate aftermath of her victory.