Jcans living abroad want House representation

OCHO RIOS, St Ann:

A member of the United Kingdom delegation to the fourth biennial Diaspora Convention here has suggested that the diaspora community should have their own member of parliament.

Venessa McLean, a Jamaican who lectures in criminology, law and politics in the UK, said the legislation can be crafted in such a way that it does not shift the balance of power outside the country.

"But what we need is our own representative who gives us a voice in Parliament because the diaspora has so much to contribute," McLean asserted.

McLean, who was born in Waterhouse, St Andrew, before going to study in England, said people in the diaspora who send billions of dollars in remittances back to Jamaica sometimes don't feel like they are part of the system.

She said she was also in support of allowing Jamaicans living overseas to vote.

"We need them to know that we are interested in what's happening in Jamaica," said McLean, who is attending her first diaspora convention.