Dual Natl. Now Commissioner of Customs

[evanovitch]

How dare you – Mair

How dare you – Mair
Wednesday, 04 June 2008
The controversy surrounding the holding of dual citizenship by some Parliamentarians again made it on the agenda during Tuesday's sitting of Parliament.

This time it was one of the Members Parliament (MP's) at the centre of the controversy that weighed in on the issue.

The debate has already left the West Portland seat hanging precariously in the balance and it is expected that others will soon be placed in that position.

Speaking in the Sectoral debate on Tuesday, MP for North East St. Catherine Gregory Mair who is at the centre of a dual citizenship court case, lashed out at the Opposition People's National Party (PNP).

<span style="font-weight: bold">Mr. Mair charged that the PNP was seeking to subvert the will of Jamaicans by forcing losing candidates into Gordon House via the courts:</span>

&quot;<span style="font-weight: bold">Those of us that have been taken to court, we're Jamaicans by right of birth. How dare the Opposition challenge our commitment to Jamaica land we love ... how dare the Opposition challenge the people who have sent us here to represent them?&quot; he said</span>.

Mr. Mair called the Opposition's actions dishonourable and said the PNP had not pursued its own MP's who have sworn allegiance to foreign powers.

He called for good sense to prevail.

&quot;I pray that the Leader of the Opposition will put country above party and above self. I pray that the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition will be able to meet and have this situation solved as soon as possible for the sake of the Jamaican people,&quot; he said.

Mr. Mair's seat in Gordon House has been challenged by the PNP's Phyllis Mitchell.

Mrs. Mitchell claims that Mr. Mair was a Venezuelan citizen when he was nominated to contest the September 3 general elections and should not sit in the House

[Tuff Gong]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How dare you – Mair
Wednesday, 04 June 2008 </div></div>

Yaawn I think the JLP Government need to move on and stop taking up the people's time in Parliament. They made a critical mistake in the vetting process on both sides. Some matters are in courts, let that play out.
What is the value of haranguing the Opposition in Parliament?

Bruce already said if matters get critical there will be Elections, so there is a remedy.

[Hush Darlin]

Re: How dare you – Mair

so why cant they just give up the citizenship then seeing that it is causing so much trouble
what are they afraid of

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SweetSsop</div><div class="ubbcode-body">so why cant they just give up the citizenship then seeing that it is causing so much trouble
what are they afraid of </div></div> They have the need to climb 2 different ladders at the same time.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SweetSsop</div><div class="ubbcode-body">so why cant they just give up the citizenship then seeing that it is causing so much trouble
what are they afraid of </div></div> They have the need to climb 2 different ladders at the same time. </div></div>

Exactly...but in defense of some of the older JLP Supporters:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc">[*]for instance Pearnel Charles had a Green Card but would you blame a man who was detained for 2 years in his own Country simple because he was member of a Political Party not aligned to the Governing Party[*]a man who was not allowed to go see his wife who was given a few days to live by a doctor?[*]a Babsy Grange who was exiled from Jamaica, put on an airplane, without been able to even pack her clothes[*]Eddie Seaga's Sisters whose homes were destroyed simply because they were Eddie Seaga's Sisters?[*]a guy like myself who was tortured for three hours in his own Country and who have to go live in my place of birth, watching my back for the rest of my natural life?

So we have to be careful to make overarching, all encompassing, generalizations.[/list]

[Blackstar*]

Re: How dare you – Mair

Valid points you raise, Tuffy, but politicians and the like cannot serve two masters. Otherwise every action they take is suspect (a bit like the Observer's campaign against RIU, you know what I mean?).

[evanovitch]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BlackStar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Valid points you raise, Tuffy, but politicians and the like cannot serve two masters. Otherwise every action they take is suspect (a bit like the Observer's campaign against RIU, you know what I mean?). </div></div>

the owners of RIU r not citizens an dont want to be citizens...they view the island as an investment ongle an we know dat investments r made to make money at any cost....

bak to the serving two masters, how would u access Eddie Seaga and his time in Jamaica....memba him bawn a farrin yet in terms of contributions to the cultural growth of Jamaica, i dare say he is unsurpassed in his grassroot work etc

[Blackstar*]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-style: italic">the owners of RIU r not citizens an dont want to be citizens...they view the island as an investment ongle an we know dat investments r made to make money at any cost....</span> </div></div>
I meant the reporters at the Observer, owned by one of RIU's rivals. One could wonder whether or not the journalists are reporting the truth, or slanting it to make their boss's competition look bad. So it's more &quot;serving two masters&quot; comparison.

[Blackstar*]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-style: italic">bak to the serving two masters, how would u access Eddie Seaga and his time in Jamaica....memba him bawn a farrin yet in terms of contributions to the cultural growth of Jamaica, i dare say he is unsurpassed in his grassroot work etc</span> </div></div>Agreed, but I bet Eddie didn't pledge allegiance to Lebanon (that's where he was born right?).

[Tuff Gong]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BlackStar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Valid points you raise, Tuffy, but politicians and the like cannot serve two masters. Otherwise every action they take is suspect (a bit like the Observer's campaign against RIU, you know what I mean?). </div></div>

Again everyone knows where I stand you yourself have quoted my view on this. I am simple saying one must also take into consideration the facts on the ground. In the 1970s the PNP Government use State Terrorism to determine which Jamaicans were qualified to be in Jamaica and to participate in the Jamaican Economy.
They deliberately and routinely drove out,

Jamaican whites
Jamaican Chinese
Jamaican Businessmen, who did not toe the Party Line
Jamaican Intellectual
Jamaican Civil Servants
and Politicians of the opposing Party.

We must take these things into consideration as a way of overstanding how some became Citizens or residents of other countries, not simply pretend that this matter is cut and dried.
My contention is that both sides did not completely vet their Candidates but the law must take it course.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BlackStar</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-style: italic">bak to the serving two masters, how would u access Eddie Seaga and his time in Jamaica....memba him bawn a farrin yet in terms of contributions to the cultural growth of Jamaica, i dare say he is unsurpassed in his grassroot work etc</span> </div></div>Agreed, but I bet Eddie didn't pledge allegiance to Lebanon (that's where he was born right?). </div></div>

Mr. Seaga was born in the USA he voluntarily gave up his Citizenship.

[evanovitch]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BlackStar</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-style: italic">bak to the serving two masters, how would u access Eddie Seaga and his time in Jamaica....memba him bawn a farrin yet in terms of contributions to the cultural growth of Jamaica, i dare say he is unsurpassed in his grassroot work etc</span> </div></div>Agreed, but I bet Eddie didn't pledge allegiance to Lebanon (that's where he was born right?). </div></div>

nope ,Boston, Massechusetts ,USA

an from Eddie u get Dynamics Recording Studio, a still unsurpassed sociology study on our indigenous Religions, Things Jamaican an nuff more..go figga een

[evanovitch]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tuff Gong</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BlackStar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Valid points you raise, Tuffy, but politicians and the like cannot serve two masters. Otherwise every action they take is suspect (a bit like the Observer's campaign against RIU, you know what I mean?). </div></div>

Again everyone knows where I stand you yourself have quoted my view on this. I am simple saying one must also take into consideration the facts on the ground. In the 1970s the PNP Government use State Terrorism to determine which Jamaicans were qualified to be in Jamaica and to participate in the Jamaican Economy.
They deliberately and routinely drove out,

Jamaican whites
Jamaican Chinese
Jamaican Businessmen, who did not toe the Party Line
Jamaican Intellectual
Jamaican Civil Servants
and Politicians of the opposing Party.

We must take these things into consideration as a way of overstanding how some became Citizens or residents of other countries, not simply pretend that this matter is cut and dried.
My contention is that both sides did not completely vet their Candidates but the law must take it course.


</div></div>

I still would give up mi bank accounts in Ja to know wat went on at Jamaica House dat nite wid dem an dat bank guy who dem bruk ovah spite..fi real

[Tuff Gong]

Re: How dare you – Mair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I still would give up mi bank accounts in Ja to know wat went on at Jamaica House dat nite wid dem an dat bank guy who dem bruk ovah spite..fi real </div></div>

So would you blame folks like Dr. Chen Young, Don Crawford and others who felt the terror of the State to keep at least a USA or other Residency requirement handy?

[evanovitch]

Re: How dare you – Mair

i pass no judgement on anyone who lives in Ja and has an out pon di side....wat i do judge r those who cheat the country...