The dual-citizenship saga has rocked Jamaica like an earthquake and has questioned the very foundation upon which the country is run - our Constitution.

This has led to calls for amendments to the Constitution from all quarters.

The latest aftershock from the dual-citizenship quake made The Gleaner's front page of May 28 relating to the $49.1-million claim that has been served on Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) member, Daryl Vaz. This claim arose from the cost incurred by People's National Party (PNP) Abe Dabdoub in the dual-citizenship case, which he brought against Vaz.

Greatest cost

The persons who have incurred the greatest cost as a result this are the Jamaican taxpayers. The by-election had been estimated to have cost over $30 million. And, with another set to be held on June 16, as the JLP's Gregory Mair prepares for the polls, the country may incur another cost of $25 million or more.

Let us be mindful that there are pending dual-citizenship claims against the Government - the others being Shahine Robinson and Michael Stern while on the Opposition's side are Sharon Hay-Webster and Ian Hayles.

My calculations, at an average cost of $27.5 million per by-election means that it could incur a total of a whopping $165 million. With the current global economic hardship, the last thing we need is to be faced with the expenses of these by-elections.

The Jamaican citizenry are the ones who now have to bear the cost for the court proceedings and it could have been channelled into some other vital sector of the country, such as improving the country's state of readiness for the hurricane season.

This begs the question, who compensates the Jamaican citizenry?

I am, etc.,

RYON JONES

spinal_idol@yahoo.com