Daryl Vaz admits that the pull to public service was so strong in his formative years that he really had little choice but to walk in the footsteps of his now late father Douglas, who served as minister of industry and commerce from 1980 to 1989.

“I come from a family in which public service was regarded as a way of life. From the age of 13 I watched my father serve as a Member of Parliament (MP), and that experience had a profound influence on me,” Daryl Vaz told the Jamaica Observer last Friday, a day after he was announced as one of seven Jamaicans who have been made members of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) on this year’s national honours and awards list.

“I developed a genuine love for people and a passion for helping them overcome challenges and improve their lives. Politics was therefore never simply a career for me; it was a natural calling,” added Vaz, the current minister of energy, telecommunication and transport, and MP for Portland Western since 2007.

“Throughout my life I have believed that leadership is about service, compassion, integrity, and creating opportunities for others. My greatest satisfaction comes from seeing people and communities prosper,” he said in response to the Sunday Observer’s query as to the reason he entered representational politics.

Growing up he saw his father make the switch from being president of the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association, between 1973 and 1976, to teaming with Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Edward Seaga to contest the 1976 General Election.

Although the JLP lost that election, which was held in the midst of a national state of emergency, Douglas Vaz won the St Andrew North Central constituency, and thus gave his son a front row seat to political representation.

Asked what has been his most fulfilling moment or achievement in politics, Daryl Vaz said: “The greatest achievements are never the titles, the ceremonies, or the headlines. The most rewarding moments are seeing the positive impact that our work has on people’s lives. There is no greater joy than seeing a student graduate, a scholarship recipient return to express gratitude, a family receive the keys to a new home, or a struggling individual regain hope and dignity.”

He pointed to a mentorship programme he runs which, he proudly stated “has provided outstanding achievers, including a few medical doctors” and has “assisted at least 50 students with stipends yearly since 2018”.

Added Vaz: “Throughout my years in public life I have placed particular emphasis on education, housing, social welfare, and community development. Through partnerships with Food For the Poor, Helping Hands, and many other local and international organisations, we have assisted thousands of families, constructed more than 500 homes across Portland, and built or upgraded at least 10 schools and early childhood institutions.”

That commitment to education, he said, has seen him host an annual back-to-school programme which has, since 2006, provided “millions of dollars in tuition assistance, books and school supplies for thousands of students”.

Beaming with pride at the work he has been doing in his constituency, Vaz said that his office has also maintained an extensive welfare programme.

“We continue to assist vulnerable families with medical support, housing assistance, and emergency relief. In addition, we maintain a water truck to serve communities affected by prolonged drought conditions, covering the cost of fuel, maintenance, and staffing to ensure that residents have access to this essential service,” he told the Sunday Observer.

“Land regularisation, road rehabilitation, and housing development have also remained major priorities. Through these efforts, numerous families have been given the security of landownership and improved living conditions,” he boasted.

Vaz also tapped the National Rural School Bus Programme as one of the initiatives that has given him much satisfaction.

Introduced in the run-up to the 2025 General Election, the programme serves more than 13,000 students daily across 352 schools on 86 routes, using a fleet of 110 buses.

Last month, the Observer reported that the programme has received high marks from educators who say it has largely delivered on its promise to make transportation safer, more affordable, and more reliable for thousands of students.

Reacting to that response, Vaz said: “Having represented a predominantly rural constituency for many years, I understand the challenges faced by children who must travel long distances to attend school. The programme has already transformed the lives of countless families and represents an investment not only in transportation but in Jamaica’s future.”

He recalled that during the tours done to introduce the school buses, a young disabled student from Manchester and her mother reached out to him to express their deep gratitude for being considered.

“But with all that said, perhaps the most fulfilling aspect of my political life is the confidence and trust that the Jamaican people have placed in me over the years. Despite what I believe has been one of the longest, most sustained and politically orchestrated smear campaigns directed at any politician in modern Jamaican history — spanning more than four decades — the people of Jamaica have continued to support me unwaveringly. I have been blessed to win seven elections — one local government election, one by-election, and five general elections — and to date, I have never been defeated at the polls,” Vaz stated.

But even as he made reference to the smear campaigns, Vaz admitted that his most depressing moments throughout his years in public service were the devastation unleashed on sections of Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa last October, and the defeat suffered by his wife, Ann-Marie, in Portland Eastern in the 2025 General Election.

“Hurricane Melissa was undoubtedly one of the most difficult experiences of my political life. The scale of the destruction was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. I was among the first to leave Kingston and travel to the affected areas to assess the damage. Entire communities had been devastated, roads had been washed away, homes had been destroyed, and many families had lost everything they owned.

“The situation was already bad through interaction with constituents, but having to start rebuilding after Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and Melissa exacerbated the situation, that broke my heart,” he said.

“However, I was also inspired by the resilience, determination, and compassion displayed by the Jamaican people. Although much work remains to be done, we have come a very long way through collective effort and national unity,” Vaz added.

In relation to his wife’s election defeat, the veteran legislator said that after she won the seat in 2019 and 2020, he had decided not to overshadow her leadership or impose himself upon the political organisation she was building as he wanted her accomplishments to stand on their own merit.

“I still carry a deep sense of disappointment because I know the tremendous sacrifices she made. I witnessed first-hand the commitment, dedication, passion, and perseverance she displayed. As we often say in Jamaica, she gave her blood, sweat, and tears in service to the people,” Vaz said.

“Politics can be unpredictable and, at times, unforgiving. Nevertheless, the experience reminded me that public service is not defined by titles, but by the lives we touch and the difference we make in the communities we serve. That remains the true measure of success,” he argued.

A quick look at Vaz’s resume shows that he attended Campion College and Miami Dade Community College; was founding president of the Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association; his political career began in 1986 as councillor for the Waterloo Division in the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation; served as deputy treasurer of the JLP from 2006–2010; and was appointed JLP treasurer in 2024.

From 2009 to 2016 he served as minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for information and telecommunications.

From 2016 to 2020, she served as minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and held responsibility for land, environment, climate change, and investment, as well as water, housing, and special economic development projects.

After being appointed minister of science, energy and technology in September 2020, Vaz became the first Jamaican minister to chair the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology for the 2021–2024 term.

He also led major expansion of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company fleet, and introduced measures to reduce fuel theft and operational losses at the company.