Reverend Al Miller’s recent pie-in-the-sky call for a Government of national unity, though noble in its intent, is reminiscent of the story about the legendary Don Quixote chasing windmills.

The goodly pastor should know that in our very tribal society any attempt at national unification is not likely to succeed because, in the very final analysis, in Jamaican politics the optimum goal is not about nation-building by way of consensus but the spectre of two warring tribes, namely the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP), jostling over who should be first in line to access scarce benefits and spoils.

There are many well-thinking citizens, Rev Miller and myself included, who would love to see our political leaders and by extension the two major political parties and their supporters embracing the concept of national consensus as a meaningful way to tackle the country’s major issues, such as crime, education, and the economy, but, alas, that will remain an elusive dream. After all, Jamaica’s political DNA has been steeped in the way in which we have come to this sorry pass, beginning with the advent of universal adult suffrage which saw two cousins, Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley, setting the stage for our current dilemma. Who remembers the song War ina Babylon It Sipple Out Deh?

PNP president and Opposition Leader Mark Golding sounded the alarm in his new year’s message when he pointed out that this year will be one of intense political activity as the country moves towards the general election, urging the nation’s leaders to set an example by word and deed, insisting that there is no place for violence and intimidation in our political affairs.

This writer unreservedly lauds Golding for “ringing the alarm” by urging that, “Our leaders must ensure that there is no repetition of the offensive and divisive rhetoric which sometimes soiled our national discourse in 2024 — it offends the spirit of ‘One Love’ and violates the ideals of togetherness embraced in our nation’s motto, ‘Out of Many, One People’ ”.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness needs to join in this call forthwith and at full throttle as his seeming silence or half-hearted response on this issue, especially against the backdrop of racist utterances emanating from two of his Members of Parliament Everald Warmington and Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn has not gone down well with civil society.

There will be much at stake in the outcome of the 2025 General Election. To begin with, an ebullient Holness is hell-bent on achieving a historic third term for himself and his party, while, on the other hand, an optimistic and determined Golding has his eyes set on the coveted prize of returning the PNP to power as well as ascending to the coveted post of prime minister as the freshly minted president of a party that has been in the political wilderness since suffering a massive and debilitating defeat.

The stakes are, therefore, high and party hacks whose bread and butter can only be guaranteed if their tribe is in power will be going all out to ensure victory at the polls. At present, the PNP is ahead in terms of popularity as the “Brogad” mystique has waned and the JLP’s leader has lost his overwhelming sway over the electorate because of the trust factor and the perception that he is arrogant and autocratic.

Golding, on the other hand, has so far not been saddled by any baggage except that there are those, not just in the JLP but also in the PNP, who do not welcome the proposition that a white man should become prime minister in a country that is 80 per cent black. It remains to be seen the extent to which this umbrage will gather steam and help railroad Golding’s trek to Jamaica House.

Another worrying aspect to this year’s general election is the likely negative way it may affect the country’s quest to become a full-blown republic. Clearly, there are some major roadblocks, chief of which is the matter of whether Jamaica should retain the Privy Council or fully embrace the Caribbean Court of Justice. In this vein, the clarion call for national consensus must again be made, but will our leaders answer the call or will the tribal, myopic way of our politics continue to take the nation down a divisive path in perpetuity with respect to the concept of one nation under God?

In the meantime, the nation’s economy is heading into some serious headwinds, and there is the fear that in a desperate bid to hold on to State power the JLP leader and prime minister may throw caution to the winds and “run wid it”. Already, the private sector moguls among other concerned national stakeholders have been warning that the public sector wage bill is getting out of whack and that it will become necessary for the Government to curb its expenditure while focusing more on productivity and growth in the economy.

Of course, there is a great deal of bittersweet irony in this scenario, as among the public sector “workers” who have benefited from whopping salary increases are Members of Parliament. And this has taken place against the backdrop of Jamaica being said to have the lowest paid workforce in the Caribbean Basin!

Meanwhile, the growing discontent among tourism workers who feel overworked and underpaid smacks of modern-day slavery, even as that flagship industry is booming, attracting millions of visitors as well as billions of dollars in investments. Who will bell the cat?

When all is said and done, 2025 has found Jamaica at a critical crossroads, beset by the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, all is not lost. We have been a resilient people and our democracy is very much alive and well. It has also been proven that with fiscal discipline and prudent management much can be achieved at the macroeconomic level, thanks to Dr Peter Phillips and Dr Nigel Clarke.

What is needed now is leadership at the helm of Government that is compassionate, trustworthy, transformational, and visionary. We need leadership that can inspire, not rule with arrogance and scant regard for the masses of the people who are the ones who determine who rule them, leadership that is loyal to the Constitution of Jamaica and not to the dictates of Belmont Road or Old Hope Road. Decision 2025 must make this possible.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 40 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.