Duane Smith, the newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) for St. Andrew North Western, and Marisa Dalrymple Philibert, the returning MP for Trelawny Southern, were officially sworn in on Tuesday, December 3, during a sitting of Jamaica’s House of Representatives.
After taking the Oath of Allegiance, the two MPs were warmly welcomed by Speaker of the House, Hon. Juliet Holness, House Leader and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, as well as fellow MPs from both sides of the House.
Both Smith and Dalrymple Philibert emerged victorious in the by-election held on November 22.
In his address, Minister Bartlett extended his congratulations to Smith, wishing him a “very successful tenure” as the MP for St. Andrew North Western.
The former Councillor Duane Smith, who represented the Chancery Hall Division, replaced Dr. Nigel Clarke, who departed the government in October for a new position at the International Monetary Fund.
Smith is well-known in the constituency, with a deep-rooted connection, as his father, Derrick Smith, served as MP there for 29 years.
The House Leader also expressed his pleasure at Dalrymple Philibert’s return to the Lower House, praising her for her years of service, including her tenure as Speaker of the House. He noted her distinguished career and expressed anticipation for her continued strong contributions.
Dalrymple Philibert resigned last year from the post and as a member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern following charges filed by the Integrity Commission in relation to her statutory declarations for seven years.
She was slapped with four counts of breaching Section 15(1)(b) of the Parliament (Integrity of Members) Act, 1973 for making a false statement in a statutory declaration covering the period 2015 to 2017, and an additional four counts of breaches in relation to Section 43(2)(a) of the Integrity Commission Act, 2017 for making a false statement in a statutory declaration covering the period 2018 to 2020.
Jamaican Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew, Juliet Holness was later elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.
