Dear Editor,

Political tribalism is holding back our development as a country.

One cannot hold our Government accountable without being seen as a member of the People’s National Party (PNP). Not all individuals who are trying to hold our Government accountable are associated with the PNP. Some of us believe in country first and party second.

In fact, the PNP holding our Government accountable in the right ways would be fantastic for our democracy. We need to start viewing ourselves as Jamaicans first and put political affiliation way down on the list of things that make us who we are.

Our politicians should not be viewed as demigods but rather as servants of the Jamaican people, whether you voted for them or not. No longer should people in our fragile State be upset by the fact we ask our politicians to answer to us or work on our behalf as native or naturalised citizens of Jamaica.

I am a youth of our nation and I am fully aware of the role corruption and bipartisan politics has played in our lacklustre development. I hope our nation, nonetheless, sees beyond local politics and sees our politicians for what they are: workers of the State — and certainly not gods.

I suggest that local civil organisations, such as the National Integrity Action, take steps in promoting knowledge of the benefits of non-partisan politics to our people, particularly the youth, and aim to let them know why it is necessary to hold our leaders accountable without bias. We should also promote civics and history lessons systematicallyat all levels of our educational system. This should empower our people to look beyond political affiliation and think about Jamaica collectively.

This is a country with great potential and great people; however, we need to rid ourselves of bipartisan politics so we’re able to tackle corruption on the scale that is needed to foster development for generations to come.

Kimberly Roach

kimberlyoroach@hotmail.com