Holness says Jamaica's PM, opposition leader should not be dual citizens
Published:Monday | May 20, 2024 | 8:50 AM
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says no person who wishes to be the ultimate leader of Jamaica should have citizenship of any other country.
Holness' comments come amid public debate about Opposition Leader Mark Golding's citizenship. Golding has since indicated that he remains a British citizen, but insists that there is no legal basis for him to renounce his status in the United Kingdom at this time.
Speaking on Monday morning on CVM TV's Sunrise show, Holness said the post of any individual who aspires to lead Jamaica but remains a dual citizen is both "untenable" and "incurable".
"To be the ultimate executive leader of the country, you should have no other citizenship. There should be no question by your citizens that you lead that you have, somehow, split loyalties. That you have a parachute should in case anything go wrong," Holness said.
He argued that every decision made by a leader with dual citizenship would be open to questions.
"So it is an untenable situation. And if you intend to become leader of the country, whether as prime minister or any top leadership, leader of the opposition or to head the parliament or whatever it is, you really should divest yourself of any other loyalty that you might have," Holness said.
Holness also suggested that if Golding were to renounce his British citizenship at this point, it would not cure the situation.
READ: Golding still a British citizen
"Having gone ahead to say 'I want to lead the country ultimately' and not having taken that step before, you can't cure it afterwards. Because already the question is then why didn't you do this before? Why did you carry us along and not declare this to us?" Holness questioned.
However, Holness said his party is in support of dual citizens sitting in the parliament. He argues that Jamaican laws should allow people in the diaspora with Jamaican citizenship to serve in the parliament.
"For me it doesn't matter what other citizenship you have, once you swear allegiance being a Jamaican citizen to Jamaica," he said.
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