"Yes, I have done it," Hay-Webster declared in response to queries from The Gleaner yesterday.

Hay-Webster was not willing to elaborate but stressed that she had carried out the procedure the same day she informed her constituents that she would.

Her about-face came after the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, Prime Minister Bruce Golding, said he had instructed his team to proceed with legal challenges to holders of dual citizenship who sit on the opposition side of the parliamentary chamber.

She had initially said she would not surrender her US citizenship, but only days after her announcement she was faced with challenges in the PNP-dominated seat.

Opposition mounted in the constituency over the weekend, after news emerged that she has had a change of heart and was prepared to continue representing the people of South Central St Catherine.

Party insiders say Hay-Webster's decision has not gone down well with factions in South Central St Catherine, who were reportedly caught off guard by her announcement.

Ceased working

PNP supporters who are backing the party's national organiser, Basil Waite, contended that Hay-Webster had ceased working in the constituency.

South Central Catherine has not been without its share of controversy since it was established in 1993. Heather Robinson was elected as the MP in that election, but resigned in June 1996 saying she would not "hug up" criminal elements in the constituency.

The constituency was left without an MP for 18 months until Hay-Webster was elected in the December 1997 general election.