As we approach our 60th year of Independence from Great Britain, our two major political parties — People’s National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) — would have had almost equal time at the helm of running Jamaica. Yet, when this term comes to an end, what will politicians be known for? What will be our legacy? Will it be based on the number of food packages we gave out, or how many funerals we attended? Or, better yet, how many bags of fertiliser we gave to farmers?

The role of a Member of Parliament (MP) to our populace is as clear as mud, and it’s time we define what ought to be our purpose. The people no longer respect us, which is evident in how we are spoken to or spoken about. There isn’t much reverence to the positions anymore as we are often branded as just another corrupt one coming to take what we can get out of the ‘system’.

Furthermore, our people are fed up with the constant posturing of political goals- coring of who did what, who did it first, and the unyielding public relations surrounding the policies for their development — often with irrational or indefensible decision-making according to tribal party lines.

That only 38 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2020 General Election is a severe cause for concern. That’s 714,326 who voted out of a possible 1,913,410 individuals registered to vote.

Interestingly, the data suggests that those who voted in past general elections are relatively equally divided in supporting the two major political parties. For example, in 2007 and 2016, the difference in the voters for either the JLP or the PNP was less than one per cent.

In 2011 the difference was 6.7 per cent. In other words, if we take our focus away from the number of seats won by either party, the popular vote count for each party tells a whole different story. See table.

What’s more, if the voters’ intent is to be respected, it implies that none of the political parties over the last four general elections have been dominant in the minds of the Jamaican electorate.

We’ve been getting it wrong

What are we to do in the face of the statistics that show 62 per cent of our voting population couldn’t care less about who makes the decisions regarding the laws governing their everyday lives? Are we to continue with business, content to watch this number grow as we still boast about having an enviable democracy?

Our Jamaican Constitution does not say much on how our leaders ought to govern. Section 34 gives a fundamental overview suggesting that “there shall be a Parliament of Jamaica which shall consist of Her Majesty, a Senate and a House of Representatives”. Further, “The House of Representatives shall consist of persons who, being qualified for election as members in accordance with the provisions of this constitution, have been so elected in the manner provided by or under any law for the time being in force in Jamaica and who shall be known as Members of Parliament.”

Section 48 states the roles of a parliamentarian: “Subject to the provision of this constitution, Parliament may make laws for the peace, order and good government of Jamaica.” However, the constitution is silent on any terms of reference or duties for an MP, save and except to make laws. Therefore, it is up to the foresight of those elected to determine laws that are in the long-term best interest of all Jamaicans.

Our legislative agenda has been at a crawl. While many countries have modernised so much of how they do things since the pandemic, the most we’ve done is advocated for extended CARE stimulus packages, passing a new Road Traffic Bill, the Sexual Harassment Bill, and the Disability Act, among others. These are important, to be sure, but they don’t impact or better the real ‘bread and butter’, everyday living conditions of all our people. Furthermore, they don’t address the fundamental fears that our people feel surrounding the daily impact of crime and violence on their lives, giving their children a quality and globally competitive education, and improving their standard of living.

As parliamentarians, why would it be difficult to jointly agree on a minimum allocation of gross domestic product (GDP) to national security, health care, and education, and the criteria for success or failure in these areas versus the flawed approach we have taken over many years, asking questions in Parliament after the national budget is prepared and shifting the focus to any statistic that sounds good at that given point in time?

What Jamaicans want is conscientiousness and unity of purpose with deliberate speed. They want the best minds from both the Government and the Opposition focused on providing measurable solutions in the country’s best interest to eradicate crime and violence, give their children a good education, provide good accessible health care, and improve their overall livelihood. They want both sides to work together on “Jamaica Team”, scoring goals for their fortunes, not those for the PNP or JLP.

In the 1990s Prime Minister P J Patterson initiated the Vale Royal Talks to facilitate critical conversations between the Government and the Opposition on national issues. The practice was continued by prime ministers Bruce Golding and Portia Simpson Miller. Last month, Prime Minister Andrew Holness resumed Vale Royal Talks. Opposition Leader Mark Golding said they were pretty successful as “a better understanding of our positions was achieved, which is very important”.

A dear friend of mine, Bobby Sager, always tells me, “We don’t have time to let things float by.” In our 60th year of political independence, Jamaicans are over the photo ops and the blockbuster speeches. They are no longer prepared to wait or give chances. It will take big ideas, bold leadership, and provocative decision-making to provoke their curiosity and optimism about Jamaica’s future direction.

Over the years, with the flurry of scandals, increased corruption, and both parties being labelled as one and the same, many people have neglected coming to the polls because they conclude that it doesn’t matter as things will not tremendously change.

Corruption wins along with vote-buying, especially in countries where there are generally low voter turnouts. As such, we need to find a way to urgently re-engage our people; otherwise, as in the words of Buju Banton, “Country for sale; apply within!”

It’s time we start to refocus as politicians. Let’s genuinely change the game by working together to create bipartisan solutions to fix crime and education to give Jamaicans hope in the life they can live in the country of their birth. These solutions should become a national charter in our 60th year of Independence. Regardless of who wins a future general election, the goals are maintained and pursued with the requisite budgets.

It’s time to press reset to move away from doing what’s politically expedient, as winning elections is generally forgotten. Instead, it’s time for us to strengthen our participatory democracy and truly engage our people in a more meaningful manner. It’s time to blow the final whistle on the proverbial political football points-scoring game we have been playing since 1962.

Lisa Hanna is Member of Parliament for St Ann South Eastern, People’s National Party spokesperson on foreign affairs and foreign trade, and a former Cabinet member.