In a desperate attempt to regain favor with the Jamaican public after a humiliating defeat in the local government elections, the JLP resorted to exposing Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s citizenship status, driven by nothing but envy and spite. Little did they anticipate that one of their own, Government Senator Matthew Samuda, was in the same predicament.
On Thursday, May 30, 2024, burdened by guilt and embarrassment, Government Senator Matthew Samuda publicly revealed that he, too, holds British citizenship.
Samuda was among three government officials targeted by People’s National Party General Secretary Dr. Dayton Campbell, who raised doubts about their dual citizenship.
During a radio interview about his role as Water Minister, host Emily Shields pressed Samuda about his citizenship status. After futile attempts to evade the question, Matthew Samuda finally confessed, stating, “I am indeed a dual citizen. I was born in London; this is not a hidden fact and is publicly known,” acknowledging that he possesses a British passport.
His admission came shortly after Dr. Campbell questioned whether President of the Senate Tom Tavares-Finson and Minister Samuda were British citizens. He also inquired about Minister of Culture, Entertainment, Sports, and Gender Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange’s Jamaican and Canadian citizenship.
In response to Samuda’s confession, Dr. Campbell condemned the senator as a hypocrite in a social media post.
Samuda also urged Opposition Leader Mark Golding to follow suit. However, Golding had previously expressed willingness to renounce his British citizenship if constitutional reforms deemed that the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition must only hold Jamaican citizenship.
Authorities Confiscate Two Illegal Firearms and Hundreds of Rounds in Clarendon.
Two illegal firearms and over 300 rounds of ammunition were confiscated by law enforcement in Clarendon. The weapons were seized on two separate occasions in Gimme-me-bit and on Duke Street, Toll Gate.
No individuals were apprehended in connection with these incidents.
Authorities reported that a targeted raid at a property in Gimme-me-bit led to the discovery of 292 12-gauge cartridges in two boxes. Additionally, on Wednesday, a man fled from the police, abandoning a bag containing two guns on Duke Street in Toll Gate.
The authorities recovered a Glock P80 with a magazine holding 14 rounds, as well as a Browning single-action pistol with ten rounds of ammunition from the bag. It is worth noting that the serial numbers on the firearms had been erased.