Seeking Updated Legal Opinion On Hay Webster
May 30th, 2008 | By admin | Category: OpinionTHE Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) denied yesterday that its South Central St Catherine MP, Sharon Hay-Webster, was planning to resign her seat because of her alleged dual citizenship status, but promised to seek an ‘updated legal opinion on the matter’.
A radio report yesterday said the MP was considering ending her political career, instead of renouncing her United States citizenship as the legal row over the issue heats up.
Hay-Webster, who was born in the United States in 1961 to a Haitian mother and Jamaican father, was brought to Jamaica as an infant and has been a resident here since. She has, however, held that her situation differed from that of other politicians who are said to hold dual citizenship in that while she was born in the US and holds an American passport she has not travelled on the document.
There has been pressure on parliamentarians said to be holding dual citizenship after the Supreme Court ruled in April that Government MP Daryl Vaz (West Portland) be disqualified from sitting in the House because, by renewing and travelling on his US passport, Vaz has sworn allegiance to the USA.
Vaz has since renounced his US citizenship which would make him eligible to run for the seat if a by-election is held. The by-election would, however, depend on the outcome of the appeal in the matter brought by the PNP’s Abe Dabdoub, who had lost the seat to Vaz in last September’s general election.
The PNP, in a statement yesterday, said “initial advice received on Mrs Hay-Webster’s status indicated that she was eligible to sit in the House of Representatives”.
The party said, however, that an updated legal opinion was being sought on the matter, in light of the Vaz ruling.
Tags: abe, allegiance, citizenship status, daryl vaz, dis, dual citizenship, house of representatives, ins, jamaican father, legal opinion, parliament, radio report, sharon hay, us citizenship, vic, webster, west portland