17 fresh faces in Parliament
Smith urges new MPs to study House rules and participate in committees
Published:Thursday | September 4, 2025 | 3:26 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter
When the new parliamentary term gets under way in a week or so, there will be 17 first-time members of parliament (MPs) sitting in the House of Representatives.
Of the newcomers, there are six women and 11 men split between 12 from the People’s National Party (PNP) and three from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
The new parliamentarians, pending any changes after the final count, are Steve McGregor (Kingston Central, PNP), Delano Seivwright (St Andrew North Central, JLP), Christopher Brown (St Mary South Eastern, PNP), Omar Newell (St Mary Central, PNP), Andrew Morris (St Elizabeth North Western, JLP), Zulieka Jess (St Elizabeth North Eastern, PNP), Audrey Marks (Manchester North Eastern, JLP), Alfred Dawes (St Catherine South Eastern, PNP), Dennis Gordon (St Andrew East Central, PNP), Yvonne Rose Shaw (St Thomas Eastern, PNP), Isat Buchanan (Portland Eastern, PNP), Kenneth Russell (St Ann South Eastern, PNP), Nekeisha Burchell (St James Southern, PNP), Andrea Purkiss (Hanover Eastern, PNP), Wavell Hinds (Clarendon Northern, PNP), Delroy Williams (Clarendon Central, JLP) and Heatha Miller Bennett (Hanover Western, PNP).
The new MPs are not expected to be thrown in the deep end, but will be given the opportunity to participate in an orientation exercise aimed at sensitising neophytes to the rudiments of parliamentary practice.
Derrick Smith, who served as leader of government business under the Bruce Golding administration between 2007 and 2011, has urged the newcomers to devote time to studying the Standing Orders, the rulebook of the House.
He said it is very important for new MPs to understand the Standing Orders, as the Speaker can shut them down if their conduct or interventions are out of line.
He stressed that MPs outside the Executive – backbenchers and opposition members – play a vital role in the committee system. These committees scrutinise legislation, examine government spending, and address matters of national importance.
“It’s your involvement at the committee stage, away from the glare and attention of all media, where you get a chance to express yourself by going deep into bills that are being studied at the level of the committee,” Smith said.
He said the new parliamentarians should remember that they are judged by their constituents in relation to their involvement in Parliament.
a worthwhile pursuit
Ronald Thwaites, former MP for Kingston Central, in a recent article in The Gleaner, said it was an honour and worthwhile pursuit to represent a constituency.
“Even if barely heard or more likely shouted down, being a voice for the voiceless is a good pursuit. Having an insight of how laws are made and people’s taxes are spent is a sacred civic task,” he penned.
Highlighting a common pitfall ,especially for newcomers, Thwaites wrote that bureaucrats in state agencies can make or break an MP’s career, since they control the scope and pace of works projects. However, he said excuses would not be countenanced, as voters hold those they elect accountable for failing to deliver on their commitments.
Highlighting some of the challenges those appearing in Parliament for the first time could face, Thwaites indicated that opposition members or even government backbenchers generally have “little talk or influence. Turn up, shut up, heckle on cue, and bang the desk when required”.
Another recurring problem that could frustrate MPs, as indicated by Thwaites, is the scant regard the Executive pay to questions, and private members’ motions moved by opposition members or even backbenchers.