General Elections and Christmas, A Clash of Interests?

Today being December 21 is a mere four days away from Christmas. For those who were born in Jamaica and even those who currently reside here, it is a well known fact that we take our Christmas celebrations seriously. The parties, the carousing and just generally lyming with friends and family can create an almost magical atmosphere for children of all ages. Christmas is a tradition that has evolved but remains firmly riveted in the Jamaican psyche. This year is somewhat different though...the General Elections which have been known to cause some amount of anxiety was called and scheduled for December 29, a mere four days after Christmas.

On my visit to the city today, the shopping districts were crowded with shoppers and people went about what appeared to be their normal business. After all, little Johnny or Melissa does not care two hoots about elections and would be terribly disappointed if on Christmas morning no gifts were found under the tree. People don't simply pause their lives because of elections...we are a civilize society and despite what some of the pseudo-intellectuals may believe or say, Jamaicans are maturing like all other peoples of the world.

Only last evening we witnessed a debate of sorts between the leaders of the two major political parties. Some people complained that the debate lacked spark, some say there was not enough details and at the end of it, the PNP claimed that the debate was won by The Hon. Portia Simpson Miller while the JLP claimed that their man The Hon. Andrew Holness was triumphant. For me, the format of the debate was flawed and the questions posed by the two journalists were not at the level to sufficiently get definitive answers with one or two exceptions. If there is a failing then it is of the people who organized the debate and the journalists who posed the questions. All in all Jamaicans at home and abroad had a chance to see the two aspirants to the post of Prime Minister come January 2012 and will make a determination on December 29th as to who should lead the country for the next five years.

Jamaica, with all of its challenges is still a fabulous place to live. If you have lots of money...its as good as it can get. Notwithstanding that, average Jamaicans still find the will to enjoy themselves and while much needs to be done to bring a higher level of productivity and wealth to the Jamaican people, on the eve of our fiftieth year of Independence, we have much to be proud of. Our tourism product is world class and what is needed is the retention of more of those tourism dollars in Jamaica. There seems to be a new realization that we need to grow more in order to feed ourselves and many Jamaicans are embarking on this path...our sportsmen and women continue to do us proud for the most part and only last week, a team of debaters from the Norman Manley Law School successfully defended their title against a team from the prestigious Yale Law School. Northern Caribbean University defended their title earlier this year for the Microsoft Image Award...and in the area of music...Jamaica rocks the world.....

There is talk of abolishing the ceremonial Monarchy which was inherited from our Colonial past and find a system more suitable for our time and space...I fully endorse any such move however, the abolition of the Queen as Head of State will not make any significant change in our lives. We as a people must seize the moment, hold our heads high and march forward onto a new tomorrow and a new order for Jamaica. My generation and the one that went before have done some good but it would be dishonest to claim that a great job was done by all and for all. We missed some great opportunities and we squandered some great gifts and in the process marginalize our country and by extension the people. A new generation with the will, the strength and the vision, adequately guided by those with good experience should be given the task to take Jamaica forward into a new frontier. Let us all well thinking and able bodied Jamaicans go out and vote on election day. Vote for the party of your choice but more importantly, vote with your brain and not your heart...Jamaica is at a crossroads and we can move forward with the right team or go backwards or stay stagnant with the wrong one...Happy Holidays to All...God Bless Jamaica....

Airlink Wireless Network - Broadband Internet, Voice, Data & Video

Airlink Wireless Network - Broadband Internet, Voice, Data & Video

Someone or a large number of persons are scared shitless of the possible inclusion of Danville Walker on the JLP ticket. I say possible because up to the time of writing, Mr.Walker was still the Commissioner of Customs and as far as I know, there is a selection process. Having said that, so what if he's selected as most of us believe he will be? There is a talk show host on Nationwide Radio who has been griping about this for days. He has stopped just short of questioning Mr. Walker's integrity and is sometimes perilously close to the edge. Luckily he's a lawyer and I am guessing that he knows how far he can push that envelope. His and some of his callers claim that The Electoral Office is been brought into disrepute is pure poppycock or better yet, politics. Where is it written in the constitution or even the bylaws governing the Electoral Office that a former director, having left that post and served elswhere cannot or should not run for representational office? Would the same bellyaching be present if in fact Mr. Walker had thrown his hat in the PNP ring? Somehow I doubt it...

Let's look at the history...under that same Electoral Office, the PNP under the direction of the Most Hon. Percival James Paterson won four consecutive terms and when The Hon. Portia Simpson Miller took over, she actually went all out for the fifth term. That didn't happen and now it is being suggested by the ramblings of the c and d class students in the party that Mr. Walker somehow amidst all the other members of the Electoral Commission gave the election to the JLP...WoW!
As a voter who have in the past supported all three parties, The PNP, NDM and JLP, I make no apology for calling out the political hacks who would see the process derailed as long as it ends in their favour. In the last election, many supporters of the PNP did not vote and those who were borderline actually voted for the JLP. This is exactly how the sytem should work in a society that is suppose to be intellegent but tell that to the diehards. Every Jamaican has a right and an obligation to support the party of their own choosing and a duty to vote on election day. Those who standby and bellyache should be ignored having failed to do their civic duty. If the Jamaican population feel that its time to return the PNP to power, the so be it. However, it is high time the PNP realize that Jamaicans are a lot more informed today than they were twenty years ago and in fact the very PNP should take some credit for that having deregulated the entire media and communication landscape. As a Mandeville man, I want to see effective representation for the people of Manchester and if the current MP is in doubt of his viability in that once pristine town, then it would be nobody's fault but his own...Let the games begin and the chips will fall where they may...Hooray for Democracy...