On Thursday, during the official ceremonial opening of Parliament, Lisa Hanna, Member of Parliament for Saint Ann South Eastern, confirmed her retirement from politics.
Hanna, a longstanding figure in the People’s National Party (PNP), expressed gratitude to the people of Jamaica for their unwavering support over the years.
“This year is my last walk to Parliament. So when the Prime Minister calls the election, I will not be seeking re-election. But like everything else, you’ve been on a journey with me throughout my life, and I will take you on the other part of my journey,” Hanna stated in an interview with CVM TV.
The next general election in Jamaica is due by September this year.
Hanna first entered Parliament in 2007 after winning the St. Ann South Eastern seat for the PNP, making her one of the youngest women ever elected to the Jamaican Parliament. Throughout her tenure, she held key positions, including opposition spokesperson on Information, Youth, and Culture, before being appointed Minister of Youth and Culture in 2012.
As Minister, she spearheaded several critical initiatives, including the development of the Green Paper for the National Youth Policy 2015–2030, aimed at addressing the diverse needs of Jamaican youth. She also played a pivotal role in revamping the National Foster Care Programme, ensuring the placement of over 855 children with 800 families. Under her leadership, the Ananda Alert System was strengthened, leading to the safe return of 85% of missing children in August 2013.
Hanna’s advocacy extended beyond youth welfare. She successfully lobbied for the declaration of Jamaica’s Blue and John Crow Mountains as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015—the first such designation for Jamaica and the Caribbean. Her contributions to national policy and development earned her recognition both locally and internationally, including her participation in a UNICEF conference in New York in 2016, where she outlined strategies for improving the welfare of Jamaican children.
After an unsuccessful bid for PNP leadership in 2020, where she narrowly lost to Mark Golding, Hanna pivoted to media and international advisory roles. She became a weekly columnist for the Jamaica Observer, discussing issues ranging from agricultural advancements to her advocacy for Bob Marley as a National Hero. In 2022, she was appointed to APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council, focusing on food security, trade, and gender-related security concerns in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Although Lisa Hanna initially announced in August 2022 that she would not contest the next general election, her recent confirmation cements her departure from representational politics.
Last year, the former Miss World, who once served as Opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs and foreign trade, was not among the over 20 people named in the PNP’s shadow cabinet.
