Monday September 3rd saw the General Elections in Jamaica finally taking place. After the dust has settled, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) will no doubt form the next government in Jamaica. With very little to settle by way of recounting, the JLP were declared winners with 31 seats to the People’s National Party (PNP) 29.
I was not interested in writing anything about the General Elections before now. Some say the JLP won by battering Portia. Others say the PNP lost by building their campaign around Portia. In the end, it seems to have been all about Portia Simpson Miller. Nowhere, from neither side, did I hear the real ‘stuff’, the substantial difference that each party said they were going to make for Jamaica.
Now, where do we go from here?
As I told a friend tonight, these days Jamaican politics, like American politics bore me to tears. It’s the same old rhetoric to ‘we’ the same blind people. We are all longing to hear something different yet fail to see that nothing is changing. It seems nobody can give me what I want…
I want workable solutions for a small developing nation. Jamaica is easy pickings in the Global rat race dominated by huge New Kingston rats of East and West.
I want to hear and see efforts at making the people of Jamaica understand that no party is the “Saviour.” Get real Marvia!
I want to see real efforts at re-educating Jamaicans about the challenges small nations such as ours face globally and how as a nation we must make different choices. We will begin by setting the example as politicians to end political tribalism and show you how we can work together in order to find solutions for:
- Crime – corruption,protectionism,exploitation of poor people by the merchant class,drug trade and gang warfare even though this is not unique to us.
- the reduction of Jamaica’s external debt
- Health – STI’s & HIV/AIDS Pandemic
- Education – Who will be paying for the free education
- Trade Agreements and Anti-dumping laws and telling us what’s fair about Fair Trade
- Export Sector - how many more years of bauxite mining?
- Environment or Resorts; Unjust Tourism industry labour laws;
- Migration ;brain drain and reducing skilled labour force;
- Encouraging micro-enterprises
- cultivating taste and demand for locally produced goods and services; protecting our brands, trademarks and intellectual property
I wonder how many Jamaicans still voted for outdated tired old promises of better roads, water, electricity, and telephone lines to their community?
And I am still sick and tired of how everybody can get down and ‘country’ and chat Jamaican (Patwa/Patois if you prefer) when them on the campaign trail. Yet when it comes to breaking down a Budget presentation, or some technical policies so that the masses of Jamaicans understand what the devil all that mumbo-jumbo has to do with their existence and livelihood..nobody remembers how to talk Jamaican!
When will we see that our problems are far beyond any single party to solve without the re-configuring of Jamaica’s consciousness? Where is the ‘spirit’ of the people of 1865 who knew their rights and marched for it? Where is the consciousness of the small farmers who formed cooperatives to gain political mileage that served their interests?
Hence my lack of interest in the General Elections since I have no time for the same old standpipe cass-cass which is highly entertaining for campaigning, but no good for Global negotiations with IMF, The World Bank, WTO or the IDB. It holds no sway in Washington or Geneva. So now that the elections are over.
What now?
Jamaica’s infamous talk show hosts will now have a new set of names on their cue cards. So who do we cuss out today? Hmm…let’s see. There is Bruce or ummm Bruce, Oh yes, let’s start with Bruce.
Anybody else tired of the same ole same ole? Or if you just wish to join the rant leave a comment. Please do not start a stand-pipe cass-cass here 
Cooling off…
Marvia
Interesting post. But I must ask is it “we” who long to hear something different, who make up the majority? Or is it that the “we” are far and few and the majority enjoy the years and years of the same ole, same ole?
Personally the mudslinging “kass kass” really is something that needs to be buried. Because like you say its entertaining but it gets us nowhere. I think the unfortunate thing is that most people vote on hype as opposed to issues. I have no figures on this but that seems to be the trend even after forty plus years of independence . The candidate with the best rally and most gifts seems to always triumph.
This political scene is like a stuck record. Same ole, same ole…. Reeducation sounds like a good idea but will probably take a lot of doing .
There need to be more folks like you who can think outside the box… as a matter of fact what box.
I will vote for you anyday LOL.
Rootz,
.
Thanks for your response on this one. Happy to hear another declare their ‘fed-upsy’
And thanks for that vote. LOL. Wow. I have to warn you though.. I’ve got revolutionary Jamaica Baptist DNA that I cannot and will not deny. I’d have to be an independent candidate. I can’t stand being a part of an organization that sees the need for change, and stay stuck in the rut to gain cheap popularity.
Some Jamaica Baptist pastors in early Post-Emancipation Jamaica were involved in Jamaica’s political life. Rev. William Menzie Webb comes readily to mind. When the Jamaica Baptists started to “fit in with the status quo” we had no more need to agitate for the masses. Our theological position then changed to ‘advising from the behind the scenes’. I think that’s where we are still located…”behind the scenes”.
Marvia
“Portia nuh have nuh pothole now, all a dem belong to Bruce” – thats the joke i take with me from the elections.
Seriously though i was so excited about this election as it marked my coming of age, i could finally vote! It was kind of an anticlimax though when i looked at what i had to choose from:-(
So i figured apart from voting, i could make a more meaningful mark by working to ensure that we had ‘free and fair elections’ so i signed up to be a specialist officer for the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ). That basically means that apart from being trained to use the electronic voter identification system the EOJ could send me to a constituency of their choice. Thus on election day i sent to Riverton Meadows, a PNP garrison. It was there where one could see the saddest aspect of our politics unravel. Here were people living literally amoung the garbage of our capital, using every means they could possibly get away with to ensure the reelection of their political party candidate who had done little to ameliorate their conditions. Yes i know things arent that black and white and not all the people who behaved in this way may have done so on their own free will but even that fact makes the senario more dismal.
Mi fed up like the rest of “we”. But what if rootzpoet is right and the “we” are in the minority? If that is the case it will be some time before our voices and actions are acknowledged and there is a move from the same ole, same ole.
How i longed for an independent candidate in my constituency who would be a good alternative. Come home Marvia an mi will vote for yuh! Church has its role to play in politics too and its not from the backseat…
Bless
Derri
Good one Derri,
Every single pothole & every roadblock for ‘justis’ all belong to Bruce. LOL
I’m popping up here. Well guess what..it’s the same story here in Panama you know. As you ‘quint’ roadblock!
Good for you girl! I’m happy to hear that you decided to work with the EOJ in the capacity you did. Riverton was obviously an eye-opening experience.
As to Rootzpoet’s and your enticing offer of 1 vote each…:-) My mother always tell me that ‘cock mout kill cock’. I’m not afraid of that though. I just think that there are many persons, ‘we’ who are fed up and are yet to connect in order to make the necessary change.
I really, perhaps foolishly, believe that the Jamaica Baptist Union has within it the stuff that ‘movements’ are made of. It’s an exciting prospect which at the moment resides mostly in my imagination. Or does it…?
What do you say?