A call for the uncommitted voters In Jamaica to support the JLP at the upcoming general Election: by Donovan Reynolds Independent Writer

After a year of speculation the Jamaican Prime Minister ended the dodgy circus of uncertainty; before a large gathering of PNP party faithful’s she announced the date of the countries seventeenth general Election since universal adult suffrage. According to statistics from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) since the 1980 election there has been a decrease in voter turnout in Jamaica’s General elections. Several reasons have been cited for this level of voter apathy, although the result has favoured the ruling PNP. While in most emerging democracies, elections are decided on Kingston-Mouth contends that this is not the case in Jamaica. We assert that the PNP are skilled at the dark art of using huge resources to mobilize their support on any given election day. In the last general Election of 2011, from a population of a little over 2.8 million, 2.6 million persons registered a vote. Only 46.18% turned out to vote. It is widely estimated that there is still a huge block of uncommitted voters who have not seen any real economic growth in the past fifty years and feel alienated by the political class that have failed their economic aspirations. It is an open secret that Kingston- Mouth supports the opposition JLP, based on their track record of success at managing the Jamaican economy. This article is a polemic pitch to the undecided, eliciting support for a JLP victory at the polls.

Surely, from all indications, the General election in Jamaica is imminent on the 25^th of February; it is the time of year to be PNP jolly. A word of caution to the gullible, entrenched, unsuspecting and uncommitted voter: woe betide the sweet mouthed PNP politician wearing a shiny orange t-shirt and driving a SUV loaded with a fist full of five hundred dollar bills.  Be cautious of getting trapped by the 'what have you done for me lately' attitude. This could land you with a fist full of temporary orange dollars that could scupper the future prosperity of you and your children. Kingston –Mouth strongly supports Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) stalwart Deputy Leader Desmond McKenzie’s call for Jamaicans not to be lured by 'a one night bellyful' as they prepare for the February 25th general election.

Beyond the shadow of the PNP euphoric lantern and orange T-shirt wearing politician, lies a dark shadowy web of hidden deception. The PNP assert that they support the poor but the reason behind such a mendicant utterance is that they have mastered the art of using the poor and vulnerable to remain employed in the selfish cushy positions that they hold in government. They dislike the Jamaican people as their interest is only confined to themselves and their corrupt cronies. They are schooled in the dark art of rigging a Jamaican political franchise that serves their best interests.

  
The JLP - often described as boring - govern on behalf of the entire country while the PNP fixation is to reward a select few that keep them in Government. Do you remember when Bruce Golding came to Government in 2007, on the back of a declining world economy; he gave every Jamaican free and universal health care and free Secondary education at the point of delivery?  Yet when the hapless lying scheming PNP government ousted us from Government it was on the pretext of a false promise of delivering economic prosperity implementing a programme called “JEEP”. This programme should have led to massive jobs and economic prosperity; the only jeep that turned up was a glossy expensive SUV for their inept political officials. One of those same SUV Jeeps rolled up at a by-election in Central Westmoreland last year then was caught on video dolling out a fistful of dollars wrapped over an orange t-shirt. The result was a massive election win bought and paid for by “JEEP”.

On the matter of crime and violence the PNP administration is a dismal failure. It was the JLP shadow representative on crime, Derrick Smith, who recently summoned the Jamaica Police Commissioner before a Parliamentary committee because of his concerns of an escalation of crime. What he told us was really frightening and showed how much the PNP crime strategy had run amok and was bereft of ideas on how to keep us safe from criminals and murders. The Honourable Mr Smith alerted us to the hard cold reality that the latest murder figures represents a 26% increase, that is, 211 more murders than the corresponding period last year. The Commissioner's explanation was far from uplifting, he said that, “Two hundred and twenty-six gangs are operating in the 'franchises' across the island and spreading their wings further than ever before”.  At the core of criminal activity is youth unemployment. The commissioner’s report outlined that most of these gang members are males between 18 and 29 years. It is disingenuous of the Finance Mister to suggest that a next PNP government, if elected, will create one hundred thousand jobs. This is a tacky and deceptive political lie, since the only growth he has presided over in his four years of office is the inches on his waist brought on by cavorting with his champagne drinking socialist cronies at Drumblair. To the uncommitted, I would strongly advise, do not obey the command to vote coming from a weak lying corrupt and ineffective PNP politician.

On corruption and mismanagement, the PNP has again shown their hatred and contempt for Jamaicans. You may recall the Trafigura vs Manatt, the  Outanami scandal, and most recently the $665 million unaccounted for at PC bank. The PNP dread honesty, integrity and openness in Government; their approach to openness compares only to the way a vampire emerges from his casket at the crack of dawn. When last has a politician in the PNP government lost their job? They are all waiting to die in office. The only way they will budge is when you give the push with a JLP vote.

 Don’t forget that Portia Simpson Miller consistently fails the common sense test, especially when she is asked to make difficult management decisions that she faces. Confronted with a serious health scandal, instead of launching an ineffective and clueless Health Minister in the stratosphere of Neverland, her response was astounding. She reassigned him to labour ministry on the back of a damning health audit report that was released. Yet the higher the PNP climb, the more difficult it will be to wrestle back the country from moral and economic decadence. You can accuse the JLP of making a few bad political decisions internally as a party but our record of accountability in government is strong.

We know that the JLP is best placed to position the Jamaican economy; we say what we mean and we mean what we say. This honesty placed us in the opposition bench at the last general election when our Leader answered fairly about the austerity plans demanded of by us by the International lending agencies. You will recall that at that time, the world was in the clutches of an economic decline and tough choices had to be made. A lying and cunning PNP capitalised on the context in which things were said and began to offer that dodgy JEEP as the alternative.

It is fair for our critics to say that the JLP failed to show more sensitivity with our language but we were never lacking in confidence to plot the difficult and arduous path to future economic prosperity. Throughout everything, we recognised that protecting the interest of the poor and most vulnerable among us was essential. This time around we intend to be more sensitive in our communication of our core aspirations and we regret what was conceived as aggressive posturing at the last election. You will recall that when we were in power, the Jamaican dollar was enjoying a period of stability, interest rates were nearly down to single digits and the murder rate had decreased by almost 40 %. We are a party of stability and prosperity. The JLP is adept at steadying Jamaica though periods of instability and strongly capable of shepherding the island towards progress. The PNP cannot claim this.

The PNP and the media are great at shedding the spotlight on our internal squabbles. Yes, we fight among ourselves because we are passionate about making the best decisions about our party’s future and the type of leadership that the country deserves. We have emerged from those quarrels as a better and more cohesive party, ready to take over the reins of government. As a party one thing unites us: the need to work toward winning the next general election, economic prosperity and poverty alleviation.

We know that the PNP spin doctors are adept at decorating the highway to hell with deceptive orange containers full of illusory promises and cleverly crafted catchphrases to schmooze you. Don’t let them use the ghost of Michael Manley to bamboozle you. Don’t let them use curry goat and white rum to snooze you. Remember, when elections are called they address you as comrade and booze you and after the election is over you are left on the wayside to beg bread and for criminals to pester you. Call me impetuous, but you know when an election is near; the PNP mascaraed roll out of 89 Old Hope Road, the sale of orange wigs increase and Portia and Lisa are sighted on political platforms gyrating and wearing orange lipsticks with Peter Philipps bulging from the pockets.

The spurious criticisms of PNP this time around will not cloud the JLPs message; we are determined to cut through the false carnival and spin that they use to cloud the judgement of the Jamaican people. The road from poverty to prosperity is not an election cliché by us; it’s a statement of deep and abiding commitment to the Jamaican people. It is a carrion call for change by genuine congruence and confluence with the needs of the Jamaican people.

On the 25th of February the election ballot presents us with a rear opening to change this corrupt and inefficient PNP government. Our Leader Andrew Holness offers a ten-point plan for growth and job creation that is a road map to alleviating poverty and placing the country on a steady path to recovery. Kevin O’Brien Chang has laid bare the lies of the PNP spin doctors about the recent improvements in the economy that the PNP are attempting to claim. He was right to alert us to the truth that the improvement was a result of the plummeting global oil price on the world market;  it has nothing to do with the lazy and inefficient PNP stewardship. The JLP will manage the economy while the PNP will continue to increase the wealth of a few selected henchmen. You don’t need to look far to convince yourself that the PNP do not love the poor. Just follow “Mama P” to her constituency to see how she benefits from Jamaican poverty. The only growth we have seen in the PNP is an increase in wealth and the shirt sizes of a few champagne socialists who have benefitted from the corrupt PNP feeding trough.

Come the 25^th of February, the choice for Jamaicans is stark: vote PNP then you get more corruption mismanagement, increased crime and more poverty, vote JLP and you will lurch from poverty to economic prosperity, lower crime and  increased security. To the uncommitted I say, your life does not improve by chance under the PNP Government. It can improve by voting JLP. To the uncommitted, I assert that progress is impossible in Jamaica with a corrupt PNP Government. To remain on the fence is not an option. Please be advised that Inaction does not change us; it may in certain circumstances condemn us to poverty and oppression. On Election Day come with the JLP and walk with us along the oft but necessary travelled road from poverty towards prosperity. Another five years of PNP Government is way too excruciating to even imagine.

This article was written by Donovan Reynolds CEO and edited by Ann Smith Managing Editor of Kingston-Mouth .com.  Donovan Reynolds is an Independent Blogger and Human Rights Activists who is of a Jamaican descent and a legal academic that has an interest in Politics, Human Rights, Culture and International Development Issues.