The Night Progress Died & Prosperity Resurrected

The day that many Jamaicans looked forward to has come and gone and what pleasant surprises it brought. It would be quite unlike me not to use my blog to do my own postmortem of what transpired. After all, politics gives rise to freelance political commentators like myself. Presented here are my views on what took place leading up to the fateful night that progress died & prosperity resurrected.

After waiting patiently on her “master’s touch” Portia Simpson-Miller decided to “fly the gate” at a political mass rally in Half-Way-Tree. If her ‘Master’ didn’t touch her then, chances are we would still be waiting on General Election like a pregnant woman anxiously awaiting delivery. This is why I believe there should be a fixed election date in a democratic country.  Fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, the touch she waited on gave her a mighty push right outside the House of governance.

Election in Jamaica is a vibrant affair accompanied with much fanfare as supporters from both parties come out in full swing. This year, if campaigns were anything to go by, the “Vitamin C” party would have won without a doubt. My oh my, they did campaign! For a while, everyone thought all hope was lost for the “Go Green” team. Honestly, the JLP ads lacked substance and apparently money wasn’t spent abundantly on town criers. Turned out that empty barrels indeed make the most noise…

And then ‘D-Day’ came! At 7:00am polling stations were open and election talk was on everyone’s lips in communities, at workplaces and on the streets. Now for my analysis as to what went wrong for the PNP and what I have learnt from this year’s General Elections.

Rule #1: Never underestimate the power of social media. Having used the term “articulate minority” to describe majority of Jamaica’s social media users, it turned out that Robert Pickersgill has now lived to regret these words as the “articulate minority” ensured their voices were heard across all social media platforms. Social media was abuzz with activity throughout the entire campaign period and continued until Election Day. Luckily, Andrew utilized social media to his advantage…smart move!

Rule #2: Never get too complacent. Asked the question “what would you do if you should lose the election” Holness humbly responded that “I will always be here to support the people of Jamaica”. On the other hand, Miller in her usual egotistic tone remarked “if I lose, what kind of question is that, do I look like a loser” as if the question posed was a rhetoric one. Turns out that joke will be on her for the rest of her life as Jamaicans seldom forget things like those. Then there’s the issue of “safe seats”. Candidates who weren’t as popular as some emerged victorious indicating a paradigm shift from controlled politics to true democracy. Take for example; Imani Duncan-Pryce vs. Juliet Holness….it was amazing how Imani got a whipping! In a democratic society, no-one should become so comfortable in power to the extent where they believe their seat is sure. Both parties (the PNP especially) need to understand that there’s no such thing as “safe seats”.

Rule #3: Never forget to communicate. Communication plays an integral role in the survival of any relationship. Politics is like a relationship, a political leader must communicate with his or her followers. However, Portia was busy “working, working, working” that she totally forgot this. Her evasion of the debate proved detrimental to PNP’s chances of being victorious. On the other hand, being a genius; Holness used their failure to communicate to his advantage. Turn down a debate? The PNP obviously forgot that they’re accountable to us Jamaicans. Again, I will forever hold the view that national debates should be MANDATORY! If the decision was Andrew’s, he would debate all by himself. While the PNP failed to communicate, he used the opportunity to reach out to his people. This is what I call strategic planning! Having hosted one of the largest mass rallies in Jamaica’s history, one would imagine that the PNP would use this forum to present their plans and policies for the country. However, they used the platform to question Holness’ integrity, attack his family’s reputation and to discuss his Beverley Hills home. The people attended the event to hear their plans and with no plan, the majority made their decision to hop on to the prosperity train. Failure to communicate coupled with a terrible communication strategy was a contributing factor to the PNP’s loss.

As the counting of ballots commenced, persons across the island nervously awaited the results. Would the progress plane take flight or would the prosperity train stall for another time? The race was close! Supporters from both parties were on edge as the media’s coverage indicated a 50/50 percentage of votes. Both PNP & JLP headquarters were filled to capacity. Portia was happy until things took a turn for the worst – at minutes after 10o’clock on the night of February 25, 2016 it was declared that “prosperity had resurrected” after being under bondage by the PNP for so many years. Democracy had prevailed and the Jamaica Labour Party became Jamaica’s new government with Andrew Holness becoming Prime Minister designate! This point in time, for more than one reason, I proudly recited Jamaica’s National Anthem. Portia’s face of gloom “congratulated” the JLP as supporters of her party gradually left the scene. Andrew Holness took to the stage in an obvious state of shock and thanked his people for believing in him.

With that aside, let us remember that we are neither PNP or JLP, we are Jamaicans and whatever decision is made, will affect all of us. The passing Election has left me with mixed emotions:

1. A feeling of pride that I had my “say” for the first time.

2. A feeling of disappointment that the PNP didn’t deliver on their promises.

3. A feeling of joy that the JLP has triumphed after suffering defeat many times.

4. A feeling of concern that like the PNP, the JLP may fail us and should this happen, I may not consider voting again.

5. A feeling of confidence that the “articulate minority” can use their voices to influence the voting process in years to come.

To the PNP, please utilize this time to return to the drawing board and formulate some new strategies instead of bashing the ideas of others when you have no concrete plans. The party needs rejuvenation, good leaders and competence which is lacking. And, in the best interest of the party, Miller should push brilliant minds like Dayton, Hanna & Julian etc. to the front instead of re-utilizing and shuffling incompetent ministers. Having done so, she should then consider resigning and take along non-performers with her. Election 2016 has gone and apart from Andrew’s house and finances being public knowledge, we only received vague ideas from the PNP so the public had no idea what solid plans were in place if they had won.

To the JLP, the ball is now in your court; you can either play the game or get kicked out of the game. There is no time to waste as Jamaicans are depending on the party to bring about a change. In structuring the Cabinet, we need less of the Pearnel, Henry and Warmington etc. We need to see persons like Malahoo, Terrelonge, Green & Williams at the forefront. The ‘articulate minority’ realized that their country needed a change and voted in favor of the JLP. And if they play the fool, the ‘articulate minority’ will be quick to throw them out in the next election.

Nevertheless integrity, accountability, transparency & true democracy prevailed this time! God bless Jamaica Land We Love….noweh nuh betta than mi yaad!!!

I am Laydee Sharmz