Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert is the new speaker of the House of the Representatives.
This is Dalrymple-Philibert’s second stint as house speaker, having first served from July 2011 to December 2011.
The four-time member of parliament (MP) for Trelawny Southern is the second woman to hold the position and is taking over from Pearnel Charles, who has retired from representational politics.
The first woman to hold the position was Violet Nielsen, who served from 1997 – 2003.
The speaker is responsible for upholding the rules (Standing Orders) of the House, and ensuring that the rights of members are protected.
Vote of Confidence
In an interview with The Gleaner, Dalrymple-Philibert said she accepted the appointment as a vote of confidence from the prime minister.
“I think there is obviously a new dispensation which recognises the contribution that woman can and will, in fact, make to the governance of this county,” she said.
Juliet Holness was elected deputy speaker. The MP for St Andrew East Rural expressed her joy to be selected to serve in the role in a tweet posted to her Twitter account.
