A BID to scrap the requirement for candidates seeking to become States Members to be British citizens has been rejected by the States Assembly.
Politicians voted by 31 to 14 against Deputy Montfort Tadier’s proposition, which he said removed the stipulation for those standing for election to be “part of a niche club”.
Deputy Tadier said there was no such requirement in Guernsey, and that Jersey should be inclusive to those wanting to put themselves forward, whether they were from the vingtaines or cuillettes of Jersey, from British territories like England, Northern Ireland and the Falkland Islands, or from countries like France or Portugal.
Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache credited Deputy Tadier for his doggedness in making a further attempt to change the citizenship criterion, but said there was an important principle at stake, with anyone able to take a citizenship test in order to become eligible.
Deputy Sam Mézec said there was a “fatal flaw” in the citizenship requirement, because it required would-be candidates to swear allegiance to a nation – Great Britain – that wasn’t Jersey. He also highlighted the case of a school friend who had lived in Jersey since the age of six months but who would be ineligible for election because they had been born in Madeira.
Several Members highlighted the cost of applying for citizenship, with bills of between £1,000 and £2,000 and the need to wait up to a year. Deputy Raluca Kovacs said some countries, including India and Spain, did not allow their citizens to hold dual nationality, meaning someone who moved to Jersey would have to renounce their citizenship before putting themselves forward for election.
Describing herself as “the least British person in the Assembly”, Angolan-born Deputy Beatriz Porée said that her allegiance to Jersey “came from within, not from a piece of paper”.
The concept of “Island identity” was mentioned by several speakers, with Deputy Kirsten Morel saying that there were many different perspectives.
“My identity is tied to Jersey, I have no UK ancestors and the Jersey flag is the one that ‘speaks’ to me. I see the Union Jack as the flag of another country,” he said.
Deputy Inna Gardiner said she had been subjected to thorough checks on her background when she acquired British citizenship, and that she considered these checks were beneficial.
Writing on social media after the two-hour debate, Deputy Tadier said he was “saddened and puzzled by the way so-called diversity champions have voted on a bid to make our Assembly more open and diverse”.
