Jonkanoo politics - Jamaica Observer

AppId is over the quota
"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

- William Butler Yeats (1920)

The general election period in Jamaica is most appropriately dubbed the "silly season", but it goes beyond that. It is also a time when "Santa Claus" makes an unscheduled visit to the ghetto long before Christmas comes. In old-time Jamaica, the Jonkanoo Band was a regular spectacle in the streets, providing entertainment for many passers-by and even some amount of fear.

The party platforms have taken on a festive face with much time spent in spewing invectives on opponents, dancing and prancing, while speaker after speaker hams it up saying little or nothing of any importance. In the meantime, mingling in the crowd and on the hustings are the rolling calves, the three-foot horses, pitchy-patchy and Actor Boys. Needless to say, there are freebies, blaring music, food and drinks aplenty plus various colourful paraphernalia to help to whip the crowds into a frenzy.

And as Bob Marley has sung, "Forget your troubles and dance..."

I am very disappointed so far with the level of discourse and pronouncements that pass for election campaigning. It is well known that this country's political landscape is rife with tribalism. Every five years or so, the boxing ring comprises the Jamaica Labour Party in green and the People's National Party in orange as they square off with the Electoral Office of Jamaica in the middle. It is a fight to the finish even as their supporters cheer from the stands in what sometimes can turn out to be a bloody brawl, a verbal slugfest which often sees many hits below the belt.

The harsh reality, though, is that there is reason to believe that this champion bout is at most times a sell-out in that he who pays the piper calls the tune. Hence, the strident calls for specific rules and regulations governing campaign financing.

In the meantime, the "same old, same old" politics of using handouts to bribe voters continues. A "Nanny", a "Manley" or a "Shearer" is surreptitiously slipped into the hands of supporters with T-shirts or is taped on to a plate of curried goat. Whatever happened to issues? Must such a crucial election as this one be just about who is old and who is young, as well as about personalities involving character assassination?

Let's face it, in the final analysis, election time in Jamaica is WAR. War of words. Turf war. Physical wars. But, unfortunately, no war of ideas. Come Sunday, November 20, 2011, when newly installed Jamaica Labour Party Leader and Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, flies the gate, must it only be a case of letting the pirates in? Lest we forget, in war the first casualty is always the truth.

From all indications, so far, no one wants to face the truth about the economy and Jamaica's relationship with the International Monetary Fund. Will there be massive layoffs in the public sector? Will the IMF agreement be renegotiated or will it be business as usual which could mean that the country is sliding down a slippery slope towards the abyss of persistent poverty and ultimately social instability?

In the meantime, candidates are being parachuted into constituencies while morals take an extended holiday, and from all indications the people do not really matter in the scheme of things. It is all about power and more power. And we know what happens when power is in the hands of self-serving individuals. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton.

What amazes me is how one's political persuasion can so influence one's perception of matters pertaining to governance as well as engender unbridled hatred and intolerance. In my own case, people with whom I always enjoyed a cordial relationship now see me as an enemy because I am a PNP candidate and they are supporters of the JLP. And it is on both sides of the fence. I recently visited what was dubbed "a PNP yard" and its occupants stoutly declared that even the dog there is a Comrade. One man declared vociferously that even when he reaches the stoplight and the green comes on, he does not feel like going forward. That's how much he hates green! Jamaicans refer to each other as "dutty Labourite" and "dutty PNP" among other unsavoury remarks. Indeed, when I do my walks I am urged not to speak to the Labourites which I refuse to do because I believe that what is most important is for all of us to see one another as Jamaicans first. Unfortunately, too many of our politicians have chosen to encourage the nastiness and the irreverent behaviour which only help to divide us further rather than unite us.

My major concern is that after the dust will have settled when the general election is over, there will be many harsh truths that will emerge which will need national consensus on the way forward. One sociologist has already predicted that we may be heading towards a scenario in which a military coup may well be the only solution, given the possibility that neither the JLP nor the PNP by themselves can effectively solve the nation's problems. After the hype that accompanies the election campaign, then enters the real McCoy when one party is first past the post. One truth that will not go away is that Jamaica is in serious financial problems. Another truth is that too many young Jamaicans (many of them skilled and academically qualified) are unemployed.

Since 1962, it has been a case of "room for rent apply within" and now that we are on the eve of celebrating 50 years of political independence the stark reality is that the country is yet to attain economic independence. The ideological war is no more, capitalism is the order of the day, a capitalism that must be infused with compassion.

For now, the Jonkanoo bands are out and many are gyrating, immediate gratification being the order of the day. What can I tell you, "fire deh a mus-mus tail 'im think a cool breeze!"

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com

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