Daryl Vaz, Member of Parliament for Portland Western, says the move by opposition leader Mark Golding to renounce his British citizenship is ‘too little, too late’.

Golding said on Sunday, June 30, that he will be renouncing his dual citizenship following weeks of calls for him to renounce his British citizenship. 

The opposition leader has been reluctant to renounce his British citizenship, noting that the law does not require him to do so to serve in Parliament. The Jamaican Constitution currently allows Commonwealth citizens aged 21 and older to sit in Parliament.

Vaz said in a statement that it is a national disgrace that Golding, who aspires to be the head of the government, hesitated to renounce his British citizenship.

“It’s also noteworthy that the British PNP president announced his intention to renounce after the possibility of a parliamentary motion and court action was mooted in the public domain. The sequence of events sends the unmistakable signal that the British president is not fully committed to Jamaica but has acted in a politically expedient manner,” Vaz said.

The Member of Parliament says the Jamaican people will not forget the ‘untenable’ and ‘uncurable’ hesitation by Golding to renounce his British citizenship.

He is calling on Golding to disclose whether he misled the country as to when he obtained a Jamaican passport. Vaz is also urging Golding to provide a timeline on when to act on renouncing his British citizenship.

READ: JUST IN: Mark Golding renounces British citizenship