“Same cat is puss; swap black dawg fi monkey; no betta herring, no betta barrel!”

Whatever your pick, any one seems to be a perfect fit for political parties in Jamaica today.There is a foreboding sense that whatever you do, the outcome is going to be the same; so what’s the point!

But, notwithstanding the withdrawal from the political scene, we continue to pay taxes and accept the under- par services they provide from our statutory contributions, or perhaps exactions would be a better word, because if many of us had a choice we’d retain our hardearned monies.

So, clearly, whether we like it or not, we’re paying them already; isn’t it time we put them to work? Certainly, I’d prefer to see state-of-the-art schools built, instead of prisons.

I’d want to know that Government understands that it works for me/us, and not the other way around; and I want policies that acknowledge that power.

We are an independent people; we are at liberty to create a State that suits us, instead of being straddled by what others are doing. We don’t have to allow other people’s actions and/ or choices to put a cap on our own creativity in defining our nation.

Elections are for the people, not the politicians. They must not be staged at the pleasure or preference of any party that might feel it has the upper hand at this point. A fixed date should be set.

Furthermore, campaign funding should properly be an expense of the State and should not be the wasteful engagement of the unemployed to unlawfully ride around in vehicles on days when they should be at work.

Cut the hype; get to the issues; more debates. Debates won’t be as expensive. Diehard-ism is killing us, and we need to rid ourselves of this deadly dragon.

I have yet to be convinced that even when people are limited in what they contribute to a party campaign funds, that it will not redound to their “benefit” once the party they support wins.

Some straddle both sides of the fence, so whatever the result they win. If there’s one thing about corruption, it is creative, and ways can be found to repay gratitude.

If people contribute, it should be to a neutral source (Electoral Commission of Jamaica), and it should be anonymous. Yes, there’ll be tax write-offs, but that’s it, no publicity!

There is a significant percentage of Jamaicans who are content to remain aloof to the quagmire of politics in Jamaica, because they are somehow still able to eke out a relatively acceptable standard of living, notwithstanding the mess all around them.

But shouldn’t we be concerned about the people who have to join the long lines at the hospitals, who don’t have jobs and are hungry, who can’t afford to build retail stores, and thus resort to spreading their wares on the sidewalks and being chased by the police?

Can we really afford to stand on the sidelines?

There is a passage of scripture that says, “To whom much is given, much is required.” Let’s unite for a healthier Jamaica, a safer Jamaica, and a more economically prosperous Jamaica.

For, truth be told, the more that everyone else around us has, the more that each of us will have. Let’s do this for Jamaica, land we love. Let’s go out and vote. Charles Evans is a marketing and public relations professional.

Send comments to Observer or charles.evans@ ncu.edu.jm.