‘Pleasure of a lifetime’
Political families share pride and joy in parliamentary service ahead of Nomination Day
Published:Monday | August 18, 2025 | 12:06 AMErica Virtue/Senior Gleaner Writer
The tenure of Dr Peter Phillips as member of parliament (MP) for St Andrew East Central came to an end on Friday when Parliament dissolved ahead of the September 3 general election, also bringing to a close the longest simultaneous representation of a father-and-son duo in Parliament.
Phillips’ son, Mikael, the incumbent for Manchester North Western, represents a long line of children who followed their parents or other relatives into representational politics, in a country whose history is embroidered with such combinations, the most famous being National Hero Norman Manley and his son, Michael, who both served as heads of government - premier and prime minister, respectively.
Phillips ended 31 years of continuous representation, three terms of which were served alongside his son, who became MP in 2012, and survived the swing against the People’s National Party (PNP) in 2020, winning by more than 600 votes.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Mikael Phillips, who is seeking a fourth term in the upcoming election, reflected on serving with his father. He became MP when his father became finance minister, one of the most unpopular positions to hold in a country struggling with debt.
“I benefited from my father’s vast political knowledge in the governance process, and also the political process when I began to show an interest in politics. He cautioned me, knowing his own experience as a parent, and his own experience of the politics. Basically, he asked me to consider if it is something that I want to do. He opened the door to consider all the factors of what it entails, and not just the representational side of the politics, but the downside. And it led me to make up my mind. And, once I did it, he became my biggest supporter,” the younger Phillips told The Gleaner.
The pleasure of a lifetime to serve with my father
“I don’t think people even gave me or gave the constituency credit for succeeding. I think persons believe that winning the seat or coming there was because I am Peter’s son, when it is the opposite. I had to compete for the seat against two other comrades who had the support of then party leader, Portia Simpson Miller. Now, I am going for my fourth term … ,” he said yesterday.
His father taught him to build relationships across the aisle.
“The majority of my growing up was with my grandmother, my father’s mother. So, our bond started more to develop when I became more in my 20s. But it got closer when I started to show an interest in politics. To be able to serve with my father has been the pleasure of a lifetime. I remember being sworn in to Parliament. I think the tightest hug I’ve ever gotten from him was that day …,” Mikael Phillips recalled on Friday.
He said he also benefited from the leadership of Simpson Miller, who was then prime minister and who encouraged backbenchers to participate in debates.
“[My father] taught me the dos and don’ts of the Parliament and the importance of building relationships within the Parliament between yourselves and across the aisle. How to formulate and ask a question. He would always say, ‘When asking a question, make sure you have the answer before you even ask the question’, and to always remember that you don’t have the last stand to answer, the minister does, and how to formulate a follow-up question and not to ask a raft of questions all in a row,” he explained.
Seeing his father’s generation of politicians on both sides of the aisle, such as Karl Samuda, Audley Shaw, Bruce Golding, and P.J. Patterson, debate with high levels of intellectual rigour in the House of Representatives was beneficial to him, he said, although he did not serve with all.
Supportive parents
Before Phillips and his son, former House Speaker Pearnel Charles Sr and his son Pearnel Charles Jr lasted six months before the elder Charles stepped away. At 89 years old, the elder Charles is on the road campaigning with daughter Michelle, the incumbent in St Thomas Eastern.
He supports the path taken by his son and daughter, both of whom are seeking re-election. Describing his son as a “top flight” lawyer with licence to practise in New York, and daughter, Michelle, as a “well-respected dental surgeon in Florida”, he said their paths to service are admirable.
“I support my children in their efforts to offer service to Jamaica, but it is a position to which many persons are opposed and many persons have suggested it’s a family affair. But my children could be making loads of money elsewhere, but they have chosen to offer service to Jamaica. They are adults, so they make their own choices, but, as a parent you can only encourage them,” said Charles Sr.
Charles Jr is the incumbent in Clarendon South East and a Cabinet minister serving as the minister of labour and social security.
The former trade unionist said his children expressed a desire to give back to their country and he believes that politics is the right vehicle to do so, as they can help more people personally and by way of all benefiting through legislation.
“They went into politics because they saw what I have done for people, and they heard from the people who are grateful, and they think it would be good to continue that. But they didn’t look on the side, the negative side, that they lose a profession, and they didn’t get a chance to do what they would like to do for themselves and their family … ,” he stated.
Neither Charles Jr nor his sister responded to Gleaner requests for comment.
Derrick Smith is the retired, former member of parliament in St Andrew North West. His son, Duane, has followed in his footsteps, replacing him in the constituency, though delayed by six years to accommodate former Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke.
“It is always good when your children follow you doing good for people. I think Duane observed me, and he watched me. He wrote me a letter to say, when he was finished with his studies he would like to go into representational politics. And he started by serving for 12 years as a councillor before stepping up. And, yes, I would encourage my grandchildren to go into politics, but, only if they want to …,” the elder Smith, who represented the constituency for four decades, told The Gleaner.
His son did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Personal Choice - Vaz
Cabinet Minister Daryl Vaz is the son of former minister of commerce and industry, Douglas Vaz. The younger Vaz said parts of that constituency are now divided between St Andrew North Central and St Andrew North Eastern, where Karl Samuda and Delroy Chuck are incumbents.
His father became MP in 1976 while he became a councillor in 1986, at one time serving as a councillor in one of the two divisions in the constituency represented by the elder Vaz.
“It was my choice to enter politics. My father made a principled decision based on the ideological path the country was taking in 1976. I was a young boy and, once I saw what took place in 1976, my whole focus changed in terms of the tradition of service to country. I don’t think the Vaz name gave me any advantage, because I did not stay in Kingston. I went to Portland,” said Vaz, stating that while the name may have opened doors for him, he had to manoeuvre the political terrain by himself.
Following his local government stint, he said, during the elections of 2003, he worked alongside Bruce Golding in Portland. Their ability to turn around the Portland Parish Council after years of PNP control led to the obvious question - whether he wanted to upgrade - and, with an answer in the affirmative, he became a candidate in 2007, beating the late Errol Ennis who had been the MP for Portland Western for almost two decades.
“Different families have different traditions. Some come from a family of lawyers, doctors, businessmen, so politics is no different and should be no different for a profession. Therefore, politics can’t be isolated. Once you go into politics for the right reasons, and to try and help the people, it cannot be a negative. Once your intentions are good and your heart is clean, and you put that in service, that is a positive for me,” Vaz stated.
His wife, Ann-Marie, followed him into representational politics and is the incumbent in Portland Eastern.
Other family lineages with a current place in the upcoming general election include Dr Kenneth (Wykeham) McNeill, who followed his father, Dr Ken McNeill, into politics. Wykeham McNeill was elected in 1997 in Westmoreland Western for the PNP and served until 2020 when he was defeated by Moreland Wilson of the JLP.
McNeill is seeking a return to Parliament through Trelawny North, where the JLP’s Tova Hamilton is the incumbent.
Neither McNeill, nor Marsha Smith, who stepped away as MP for St Ann North East last year and whose father was the late Ernie Smith, could be reached for comment.