Opposition Leader Mark Golding has responded to questions regarding his citizenship saying “I am a born Jamaican and have a Jamaican passport,” however, he has not stated whether he is still a British citizen.
There have been questions regarding his citizenship, since his recent suggestion that the constitutional reform process should reconsider the current rule which bars certain members of the Jamaican diaspora from sitting in the Jamaican parliament.
His comments led to calls from several quarters, including from Transport Minister Daryl Vaz, for Golding to state whether he is a British citizen.
In a post on social media site X on Saturday, Golding stated “I’ve never hidden the fact that my father, who came to Jamaica from the UK, had got me a British passport when I was a young child.”
However, he said he has been travelling on his Jamaican passport for years.
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“Like other Jamaicans, I apply for visas from countries such as the US and UK to go there,” he stated. “I man born yah, but the local government elections and recent polls seem to be driving some to grasp at straws.”
Responding to Golding’s post, Vaz said “Lol ARE YOU A BRITISH CITIZEN… 3 or 2 letters can clear this up.”
Turning to the matter of constitutional reform, Golding noted that the Jamaican constitution currently requires Commonwealth citizens to reside in Jamaica for at least one year in order to be eligible to sit in the parliament.
“Over the years, parliamentary candidates with Commonwealth passports have therefore legitimately participated in general elections to become MP’s and sat in the Senate. On the other hand, the current Constitution prohibits non-Commonwealth citizens (who have pledged foreign allegiance) from being parliamentarians,” he stated.
Golding argued that the constitutional reform process should reconsider the current rule and “make it accord with the realities of the Jamaican experience.”