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Should
parliamentarians be allowed dual citizenship?
Roxroy McLean and Demar Tracey,Youthlink
Writers
Roxroy:
No, they should not be allowed to have
dual citizenship. In my opinion, everything
that these parliamentarians do will affect
the country. When the time comes where situations
begin to unfold in a cataclysmic manner, these
same persons have the right to transfer their
attention to another country because we gave
them that option. If you have two homes, you're
attention to each will be split. The less
attention a place, person or thing gets, the
less productive it will be. I believe that
if you are sworn in as a Jamaican MP, you
should pledge allegiance solely to the country.
crime
and violence
In
a recent poll, conducted by Bill Johnson,
the majority of the Jamaican public (54
%) said they think the country should not
have MPs with dual citizenship and I agree
with them.
Persons
who have sworn allegiance to another country
should not be allowed to obtain seats in
Parliament. If the law is reversed, then
there will be a blatant disconnect between
the Government and the general public. And,
given the recent surge in crime and violence,
the country needs to be unified. We don't
need another small matter to be among the
country's most pressing issues. No, they
should not be allowed to have dual citizenship.
Demar:
I never thought that you would have come
to a conclusion. That said, I really don't
think the issue is that big of a deal, because
the truth of the matter is whether or not
our parliamentarians have dual citizenship,
they are free to quit their jobs at any
time.
Ironic
Therefore,
not having dual citizenship doesn't prevent
any of our politicians from 'serving' this
nation. Ironic, isn't it? It's no secret
that quite a few of them have been anything
but effective for the people of Jamaica,
and are better off taking up the request
to serve another state, if they are called
upon by the state they swore allegiance
to.
But,
on a serious note, if it were my decision
to remove this part of our Constitution,
it would have got the boot decades ago because,
quite frankly, I think it's useless as it
doesn't have any impact whatsoever on the
condition of our politics and country in
general.
Judge
- Anthony Meerak
Winner
- Roxroy, he had more points and created
a more compelling argument.
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