Member of Parliament for West Portland Daryl Vaz shows his new passport and visa to the media at the Jamaica Labour Party's Belmont Road, New Kingston, headquarters on Monday. Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

ARMED WITH a copy of his birth certificate, two Jamaican passports and a letter of declaration, Daryl Vaz yesterday called for an end to arguments about whether he is qualified to sit in the House of Representatives.

Vaz, who was ousted from the West Portland seat by the courts because he had dual citizenship at the time of the 2007 general election has been nominated by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to contest the March 23 by-election in the constituency.

But he could face a fresh legal battle to prove that he is now qualified to sit in the House.

Abe Dabdoub, whose challenge led to the disqualification of Vaz, has indicated that he will be returning to the courts for a determination of the status of the JLP candidate.

No confirmation

Up to late yesterday, there was no confirmation from the Supreme Court that Dabdoub had made good on his declaration, but an obviously peeved Vaz called for an end to the squabble.

"I see it as a distraction and an irresponsible accusation by lawyers who should know better," Vaz told journalists at a media briefing.

"Upon presentation of these (documents) to the media, I hope you will not come back again asking the same questions. I want to say, as it relates to my status and my qualification to represent the people of Jamaica, the argument done," Vaz added.

He outlined the sequence of events, which he said, started immediately after the chief justice ruled that he was not qualified to sit in the House and ended when he received the certificate of loss of nationality from the United States.

"That is the final document and certificate to indicate that the process is complete and you have renounced your citizenship. As a result of that, I then applied for and thankfully, was given a visitor's visa to allow me to enter the United States of America," Vaz claimed.

He stated that he would not have had to apply for a US visa if he was a green-card holder.

Vaz was supported by other JLP officials who argued that while their candidate has met the legal and moral standards, questions must be asked of the People's National Party (PNP), which has nominated a candidate who has dual citizenship.

Holds a Canadian passport

The PNP's candidate for the West Portland seat, Kenneth Rowe, has admitted that he holds a Canadian passport and the JLP argued that while constitutionally he is allowed to sit in the House, the PNP has a moral dilemma.

"It is incumbent on lawmakers to not just govern by technicalities, but also to lead and govern with high morals.

"Because Mr Dabdoub, having gone to court and fought the issue of dual citizenship ... and then the very same party nominates an individual with dual citizenship, then there is a big moral gap they have to close," JLP executive Dr Ronald Robinson argued.