Foreign allegiance in Parliament?

Published in the Jamaica Gleaner: Tuesday | August 21, 2007

Devon Dick, Contributor

Last week, a Nationwide newscast claimed that some candidates who were nominated to contest the 2007 general election had dual citizenship, meaning that they had sworn allegiance to a foreign government and power, which is contrary to the constitution of Jamaica. A couple days later, I heard a similar story on RJR.

This is an untenable situation. No candidate who has sworn allegiance to a foreign government should be allowed to flout the law and constitution of the country. And our political leaders should make an unequivocal statement that if they were selected to become Prime Minister that they would not allow any person who has sworn allegiance to a foreign power to sit in the House of Representatives, Senate or Cabinet.

Senators and Members of Parliament should not be allowed to break the law and not face the consequence. How can those who are called to make legislation turn around and not uphold the same legislation? Mr. Golding said in the recent political debate that the law must take its course in the case of capital punishment. The law must take its course in this issue also.

Sworn allegiance

In addition, if a legislator has sat in the Senate or House of Representatives while having sworn allegiance to a foreign power, he or she should repay their salary with interest. Citizens have to pay back taxes with interest and legislators should be similarly punished.

The constitution makes eminent sense to bar persons who have sworn allegiance to a foreign power. When one is committed to one country one is generally more committed to that country than when the allegiance is divided. Furthermore, when one has only one option then one is more committed to the task. It has always been difficult to serve God and mammon.

Swearing allegiance has rights and benefits but it also has obligations. This could compromise our legislators.

If legislators get away this time, then one day we could have a Prime Minister who has sworn allegiance to a foreign power. And one day members of our armed forces might have allegiance to a foreign power.

The Most Honourable Edward Seaga, who was born in the U.S.A., renounced his U.S.A. citizenship. But nowadays our politicians do not want to show a similar commitment but rather flout the constitution.

In the U.S.A., a person who is not born in the U.S.A. could not be president. We allow persons who are not born here to be Prime Minister once they have not sworn allegiance to a foreign power.

Designated funds

There was the instance when the Patterson administration passed a law to allow them to use designated funds from the NHT to finance education. I hope that it is not the intention of the incoming administration to change the constitution to allow candidates who are in contravention of the constitution to sit in Parliament.

The paradox of the situation is that while the constitution debars persons who have sworn allegiance to a foreign power from entering Parliament as a member, until the Patterson administration changed allegiance to people a couple years ago, the parliamentarians were swearing allegiance to the Queen of England. Mr. Seaga and David Coore, Q.C. who were framers of the constitution need to explain this contradiction. The paradox is also taken to another level by virtue of the fact that the Queen is still Head of State and it is her representative who opens Parliament.

Our legislators should respect the constitution and no one who has sworn
allegiance to a foreign power should be in the Parliament or the Cabinet.

Rev Devon Dick is pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church and author of "Rebellion to Riot: the Church in Nation Building."