Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

( L - R ) Pauline Thompson, Leighton Parkes and Victor Lindon - Photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Homeless persons in the Corporate Area are throwing their support behind a suggestion from Opposition Member of Parliament, Mike Henry, who says they should be given the opportunity to vote.

Mr. Henry told the House of Representatives on Tuesday that he was concerned that homeless persons were being disenfranchised.

Parliament is now seeking legal advice from Solicitor General Michael Hylton to determine whether a homeless person has the right to vote.

The Gleaner paid a visit to St. William Grant Park, downtown Kingston, yesterday and got the views of some homeless persons.

Victor Lindon, a 65-year-old man who has been homeless for the past four years, welcomed the idea, saying he would definitely vote if given the opportunity.

"Dat sound good because wi a all Jamaican so wi fi entitle fi vote," he said.

He told The Gleaner that he was aware of who the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition were, and that he knew the political party that he would vote for.

Leighton Parkes, who has been homeless for seven years, said he was happy that the voices of the homeless would be heard if a decision was taken to allow them to vote.

"Wi respect dat still, but wi hope dem serious because dem coulda do dis because dem waan wi vote fi win di election," he said.

But Mr. Parkes told The Gleaner that he expects to get something in return for his vote.

"Mi woulda waan a house fi live in fi di future and more employment," he said.

Pauline Thompson, who has been living on the streets for four years, also supports the idea of homeless persons being given the opportunity to vote.

"Dat is a good idea cause mi never vote before an a mi right fi vote an mi waan di ID (National Identification Card) because it good fi have."

However, Ms. Thompson admitted she was unaware of who the Prime Minister or the Leader of Opposition were but that she was sure about which political party she would vote for.

Josephine Heron, who works with the Salvation Army and has been feeding homeless persons in St. William Grant Park for 12 years, said they deserve the right to vote.

The following is one of the emails received from the public to the question of whether homeless persons should be allowed to vote.

Homeless Jamaicans

Hello,

It is so ironic that the homeless are getting notice, when elections are getting closer. I am so upset at the suggestion of homeless voting. Why should they give their votes to these corrupted crooks? If they care so much about the homeless, why wasn't the $31 million used to build homeless shelters instead of using it for (political party) conference?

J.

Canada