VZCZCXYZ0010
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKG #1034/01 3441429
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091429Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7039
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 001034 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2018 
TAGS: PRWL PGOV SOCI CPAS PBTS EFIN ELAB ECIN ECON
JM, XL 
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: AWAITING COURT RULING ON HIGH-PROFILE 
DUAL NATIONAL MP CASE; POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS 
 
REF: A. KINGSTON 398 
     ¶B. KINGSTON 310 
     ¶C. KINGSTON 280 
     ¶D. 07KINGSTON 1336 
 
Classified By: DCM JAMES T. HEG FOR REASONS 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary and analysis:  The government continues to 
retain its slender parliamentary majority of 32-28 as the 
Jamaican court postponed a decision on the West Portland 
seat.  Currently Daryl Vaz of the ruling Jamaica Labor Party 
(JLP) holds the position, but in April a Supreme Court 
justice ruled that he cannot retain the seat because he held 
dual U.S.-Jamaican nationality at the time of his nomination 
and election.  Vaz,s challenger, the People,s National 
Party (PNP) candidate Abe Dabdoub, filed a court case against 
Vaz and demanded that the votes for him be nullified, thus 
giving Dabdoub the seat outright.  Instead, the Supreme Court 
ruled that a by-election should be held, and Dabdoub filed an 
appeal.  The appeal case had been due for a hearing before a 
panel of three judges on November 24, but the case was 
postponed when one judge was unable to attend the 
proceedings. 
 
¶2.  (C) If the court chooses to discount the electorate and 
grant Dabdoub the parliamentary seat outright, Prime Minister 
Bruce Golding will be in a very difficult position; in the 
past, he has stated publicly that he would never allow an 
unelected parliamentarian to serve based on a technicality. 
A court appointment of Dabdoub could force Golding,s hand at 
a time when the populace is frustrated with inflation and 
endemic crime.  If Golding were to call a general election in 
the next few months, there is no guarantee the JLP could 
maintain even its narrow parliamentary majority.  End summary 
and analysis. 
 
Parliamentary Seat Stalemate Continues 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Daryl Vaz, the majority Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) 
member of parliament (MP) elected in the West Portland 
district in the September 2007 national election, was a U.S. 
citizen at the time he was nominated and ran for office (Ref 
D).  People,s National Party (PNP) challenger Abe Dabdoub 
claimed that Vaz violated Jamaica,s constitution, Clause 42 
of which bars from high office anyone who has &sworn 
allegiance to a foreign power.8  On April 11, Chief Justice 
Zaila McCalla ruled that Vaz could not retain his elected 
position.  However, she did not grant the petitioner's 
request to nullify the votes against Vaz and appoint Dabdoub 
directly to the seat; rather, she called for a by-election. 
In May, Vaz renounced his U.S. citizenship and announced he 
would run for his seat again if necessary (Ref B).  Dabdoub 
appealed the Supreme Court decision, and a three judge panel 
was due to hear the case on November 24.  However, the case 
was postponed because one of the three judges was unable to 
attend the hearing.  No new hearing date was announced. 
 
Local NGO Analyzes Role of 
Dual Nationals in Government 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) In late November the NGO Caribbean Policy Research 
Institute (CAPRI) published an analysis on the arguments for 
and against permitting dual nationals to hold high government 
office in Jamaica.  CAPRI noted that according to the widely 
accepted interpretation of the pertinent constitutional 
clause, neither the United Kingdom nor member nations of 
CARICOM constitute &foreign powers.8  In Jamaica, this 
leaves dual citizenship with the U.S. as the most commonly 
contested issue. 
 
¶5.  (U) The CAPRI report cites the &commitment8 argument 
against permitting dual nationals to hold high office, 
proponents of which posit that someone who has allegiance to 
two countries may not fully serve the best interests of 
either.  The report quotes Abe Dabdoub making such an 
argument, as well as former Prime Minister Edward Seaga, who 
renounced his U.S. citizenship to take office.  Seaga once 
said, &One man cannot remain loyal to two flags.8  To test 
the validity of the &commitment argument,8 CAPRI examined 
legislation in the Jamaican parliament from 1998 to 2008 to 
search for conflicts of interest.  CAPRI determined that such 
conflicts arose in less than one percent of the bills under 
discussion. 
 
¶6.  (U) The CAPRI report also references the &capacity8 
argument in favor of allowing dual citizens to maintain key 
government positions.  Those who support this view argue that 
it is essential to find the most qualified persons, and it is 
sensible to widen the applicant pool by looking to the 
 
diaspora.  People who have lived overseas, or at a minimum 
have been educated abroad, may have a greater depth of 
experience and will best be able to serve constituent needs, 
this argument states.  Furthermore, it shows a high level of 
commitment on the part of these dual nationals to return to 
Jamaica, eschewing opportunities elsewhere in favor of 
serving in the public sector in their home country. 
 
¶7.  (U) According to the report, of immigrants to OECD 
countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, about a 
quarter have tertiary degrees.  In contrast, of those 
remaining in their home countries, only twelve percent have 
that level of education.  The CAPRI report also cites a 2004 
study which found that Jamaica has one of the world,s 
highest rates of emigration by university graduates.  The 
CAPRI report states,  &( (L)osing the most skilled 
Jamaicans to migration has had well-understood and not 
inconsiderable productivity losses for the economy.  It is 
reasonable to conclude that excluding them from the political 
process upon return is likely to result in a negative 
trade-off there as well.8  (Note: The CAPRI report does not 
account for remittances, which may balance some of the 
economic losses from &brain drain.8  There is no such 
commensurate counter-balance for losing political talent, so 
the trade-off there is even steeper.  End note.) 
 
Comment and Analysis 
--------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) The CAPRI report contrasts two arguments, and while 
more evidence seems to support the &capacity8 side, the 
conclusion notes that Jamaicans must decide for themselves 
whether commitment or capacity should carry more weight in 
determining who is allowed to hold high office.  It seems 
that Vaz,s renunciation of U.S. citizenship undermines the 
&commitment8 argument, and he remains popular in his 
district.  Nevertheless, if the court chooses to discount the 
electorate and grant Dabdoub the parliamentary seat outright, 
Prime Minister Bruce Golding will be in a very difficult 
position; in the past, he has stated publicly that he would 
never allow an unelected parliamentarian to serve based on a 
technicality.  A court appointment of Dabdoub could force 
Golding,s hand at a time when the populace is deeply 
frustrated by rising prices, the drop in the value of the 
Jamaican dollar, and endemic crime.  If Golding were to call 
a general election in the next few months, there is no 
guarantee the JLP could maintain even its slim parliamentary 
majority.  Then again, if the court continues to postpone the 
case indefinitely for flimsy reasons, Golding and his party 
may not have to face a public referendum for some time to 
come.  While there seems to be no deliberate bias on the part 
of the judiciary, for now, at least, the lack of a definitive 
ruling benefits the party in power. 
Johnson