I love going to the nail salon. Yes, getting a manicure and pedicure are relaxing, but I also learn so much from the discussions that occur when I am in there about what is happening on the ground that I look forward to my visits.

At my most recent visit, eight of us settled in to trending conversations on various wide-ranging and provocative subjects. Ultimately, politics came into the mix.

“So, Lisa, who wins on Monday?”

“Before I answer that, how many of you are going out to vote on Monday?”

There was silence; none of them said they would. I was the only one who was going out to vote.

Based on the voting patterns over the last couple of local government elections, I wasn’t shocked. However, based on what I saw on social media and the crowds following behind both political parties, I thought perhaps I would feel a groundswell within unfamiliar spaces.

The evidence from the voter turnout in the past local government elections suggests that it has steadily declined since 2007. In fact, the voter turnout of Jamaicans eligible to vote in 2011 was 37.92 per cent, 34 per cent in 2007, and 30 per cent in 2016.

That is nearly 70 per cent of those who could vote that did not vote in the last two local government elections — a clear indication that our people are not interested in exercising their voting choice and participating in the electoral process.

So, is our democracy really being strengthened?

Who cares about representational politics?

From the looks of things, it seems only the politicians and die-hard supporters of political parties care.

Undoubtedly, most politicians live in their bubbles, and respective political parties spend millions of dollars to campaign islandwide during elections to rev up their base voters.

The T-shirts, the motorcades, the blusterous platform speeches at rallies and spot meetings, the canvassing of voters, groups of people walking in their party colours throughout communities, social media advertisements and memes all excite Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and People’s National Party (PNP) voters and supporters. Both sides love the election excitement.

On the other hand, “John Public” is annoyed and disinterested and wants it to be over so things can return to normal. Moreover, many young professionals refuse to get enumerated, and many, if they are, don’t vote and don’t participate in our typical “vote in” and “vote out” culture.

What have you done for me lately?

Jamaica has an enviable electoral machinery that is respected globally. However, not much has changed in our politicking and campaigns. In other words, I still get the same responses from people I speak with in my constituency and others when I campaign at election time.

For nearly 20 years since I’ve been in representational politics campaigning in various communities, I still get comments such as:

“Look at the conditions of our road!”

“We don’t have water!”

“The street lights don’t work!”

Invariably, I must try to convince voters why they should have given the candidate a chance.

Therefore, how we set about ensuring communities are built at the local level is where our priorities must be.

The most recent Don Anderson poll showed 34 per cent of those interviewed said they would not vote.

The top reasons for those who say they’re not voting include not being impressed by any of the representatives, being disappointed in either political party, not seeing any development taking place in my area, and just not being interested in voting.

Since 2020, I have been spending more time analysing the motivations of Jamaicans towards national development. Most Jamaicans are tired of our current style of politics. They want disciplined leaders with innovative ideas that build a disciplined country to give them peace of mind, public safety, and economic opportunities for themselves and their children.

Our people are demanding more and deserve more. Their priorities have been and continue to be:

* a reduction in crime and violence to create a peaceful and safe society;

* a globally competitive quality education they have access to;

* a liveable wage capable of providing them with food, energy, transportation, and shelter, access to good public health care services; and

* an economy that’s agile to create continuous growth and job opportunities with a primary focus on foreign exchange earnings.

At the local level, especially in rural communities, it’s about roads, water, garbage, street lights, and garbage collection.

Did you know that while the National Works Agency (NWA) is responsible for Jamaica’s main road network, consisting of approximately 5,000 km of class A, B, and C roads the municipal corporations must oversee approximately 12,000 km of parochial roads?

Therefore the competence and qualifications of the personnel required to manage and implement infrastructural projects in parish councils are critical and perhaps require the same or more resources than the NWA.

What’s more, elected councillors have an essential role to play.

I can tell you that a constituent is not interested in explanations surrounding “who the road belongs to” whether parish council or NWA.

Last year, Prime Minister Andrew Holness acknowledged that parochial roads are a problem.

“The local roads are a challenge [and] we understand that. That is why the Government announced the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme, which is an allocation of over $40 billion to fix community roads, local roads, and parish council roads in every constituency,” he said July 14, 2023.

The PNP says that, “Over time, and in keeping with the fiscal rules, [it will] grow the contribution from the national budget (targeting a minimum of 2 per cent to municipal corporations as a dedicated source of funding for better service delivery, including the Divisional Development Fund (DDF) so that councillors can be more responsive to the needs of local communities. [This will assist to] improve the internal road network to enhance the quality of life of citizens and bring the benefits of Jamaica’s tourism industry to local communities.”

All politicians have their primary objective of working on behalf of the people. Councillors use our property taxes to fix parochial interior roads and other infrastructure, and maintain street lights, cemeteries, and community centres. Other responsibilities include approvals for new construction, additions to existing buildings, burial orders for the dead, infirmaries, and many other essential services we take for granted.

Don Anderson says that 41 per cent of those who can vote said they would this time. This increase is heartening and an indication that people’s apathy is perhaps waning.

There are over 200 PNP and JLP councillor candidates running tomorrow. What happens in our communities is important. Therefore, if you are registered to vote, I urge you to do so, so that all councillors can be held accountable for how innovative they are in improving our country and our quality of life. Therefore, treat this election with the seriousness it deserves.