AFTER four decades of dedication to public service — spanning roles as councillor, Member of Parliament, and Government minister — Daryl Vaz was left awestruck and honoured on being named a 2026 recipient of the Order of Jamaica (OJ).

Serving currently as the minister of energy, telecommunications and transport, Vaz shared that being appointed to the rank of OJ left him overcome by gratitude to those who helped him along his political journey.

“I’m absolutely, truly humbled and appreciative. The news of me being awarded the Order of Jamaica has been overwhelming. I want to thank first of all my family who have stood by me through all these years of public service. My constituents who have voted for me in five consecutive elections,” Vaz told the Jamaica Observer.

Jamaica’s fourth-highest honour in order of precedence, conferred upon any citizen of outstanding distinction or vested in any distinguished non-citizen (honorary member), adds another stellar achievement to Vaz’s expansive career, which began in 1998 when he was elected as Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Waterloo Division in the then Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC).

He later served as deputy treasurer of the JLP from 2006 to 2010, during which time he juggled the role of Member of Parliament for Portland Western, a seat he has retained since he was first elected in 2007.

His earlier ministerial work also saw him contributing as a minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for project implementation and service delivery and minister without portfolio responsible for Information and Telecommunications in 2009.

His political portfolio continued to grow during the early 2000s when he served as Opposition spokesman on land and the environment, ICT, and digital society development during periods out of Government.

When the JLP returned to power, he was assigned the role of minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation from 2016 to 2020.

In 2020 Vaz was sworn in as minister of energy and technology, which was later expanded to include telecommunications and transport.

He has continued to serve in that capacity since.

Reflecting on his journey, Vaz was melancholic when he told the Observer that his path was not without obstacles; but he credited the hard work of those who supported him throughout all phases of his career as the reason he was able to overcome.

“Most importantly, all of the public servants that I’ve worked with in my different capacities over the last 10 years as a minister of Government, those public servants in all categories and across all ministries that I’ve worked in over the past 10 years have made me an effective minister and have been able to bring something to the table in terms of making the lives of the people of Jamaica even better.

“I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all the well-thinking Jamaicans who have supported me in good times and in bad and to say that I will continue to do my best for Jamaica until such time as I retire from active politics,” said Vaz.