THE silly season is upon us, so too is the ranting and raving. It’s all about hype and fluff, much style but very little substance. Colourful T-shirts, buntings, caps, outrageous hairstyles, armbands, flags, graffiti and other symbolic paraphernalia form part of the exciting Jamaican political culture which most times take on a dancehall-type atmosphere, with music and food playing a pivotal role in whipping up party support.

For the most part, the speeches emanating from platforms exude empty promises, a great deal of “tracing” and tearing down of one’s opponent, all the while lacking in substance and hope. It is mind-boggling to think that on the eve of the 50th year marking the attainment of political independence, most Jamaicans and their politicians are behaving as if “nothing no wrong” and that everything is coming up roses.

The two major political parties, the ruling Jamaica Labour Party and the Opposition People’s National Party, have put on the “mother of all conferences” but the potent question that must be asked is, when will we as a country achieve the “mother of all economic growth and sustainability”?

Yes, there have been improvements in education with the advent of numerous universities and other places of learning churning out qualified graduates, but they often go home to a jobless environment; yes, there is free health care but many patients, after having to wait for many hours before they are seen by a doctor who is usually tired and overworked, cannot afford to fill their prescriptions; yes, education is free, but most schools have to rely on fund-raising and donations from the private sector or their alma mater to stay open; yes, interest rates are down, but fewer people are borrowing for productive purposes and delinquency on loans remains alarming; yes, mortgage rates are down but many people are struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments and many are losing their houses; yes, inflation is curtailed, but a weekly trip to the supermarket has become a painful experience because filling the trolley poses an increasingly serious challenge to one’s pocket. So what’s new, pussycat?

In the meantime, there are pressing issues relating to tax reform, the island’s relationship with the International Monetary Fund, Jamaica’s archaic constitutional arrangements with the United Kingdom with respect to our sovereignty, the sense of hopelessness and cynicism, especially among the youth, the massive deterioration in our roads islandwide caused not just by continuing neglect but poor workmanship, engendered by corruption (pork barrel); redefining the role of members of parliament so that they can become effective leaders in their constituencies and not just “rubber stampers” in Gordon House; the pressing need to arrive at a national consensus on critical matters of state; the crude and confrontational disposition of many of our parliamentarians which has led to increasing crassness and rudeness in public discourse and the lack of genuine patriotism among our people that face this fledgling nation. Patriotism should not only emerge when Usain Bolt wins a gold medal or the Reggae Boyz triumph on the international stage.

The tragedy is that these are not the issues that are preoccupying the minds of our political parties. No; character assassination while buying votes seems to be more important than debating the issues. Why can’t both parties insist that there be constituency debates among the various candidates so that voters can get a greater level of appreciation as to what each candidate is bringing to the table? Aren’t well-thinking voters being short-changed when all they get from their candidates are empty promises, handouts and sloganeering? The pity is that so many of our people, especially the diehards, have bought into this “fish head” politics which encourages the mantra of giving a man a fish every day rather than teaching him to fish so that that individual can become truly economically independent. The bottom line is that we teach people to fish rather than create a world in which dependency becomes the order of the day. Jamaica’s economic independence can only be achieved when Jamaicans are made to take responsibility for themselves while government provides opportunities and acts as a facilitator.

So the bell will soon be rung and the gate will be flown. Heading towards the finishing line will be His Holiness and Sista P. This time round, it should not be just a question of “whom you voting for” but “what you voting for”, but alas, once again, this election is likely to be all about such fleeting issues as age and who can speak better. Time is not on our side. Jamaica is lurching towards an economic precipice and the country’s current political culture (which can be seen as the brakes) is very defective. Is it too late to draw brakes and do the necessary repairs or just let her rip? That’s what ought to be new, pussycat, so when will we stop the pussyfooting?

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com