In the very final analysis, politics is all about wants and needs. As one politician puts it, “It’s all about who gets what, when, and where.”

In the Jamaican society, where there is so much inequity and iniquity, politicians oftentimes pit wants against needs as they seek to win votes. Of course, many Jamaicans have continuing problems trying to decide what is it they want as against what they need.

Even as the next general election looms, both the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) may be well advised to revisit Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and use this as a guideline to provide genuine benefits to the people in a way that they will be truly empowered and not temporarily satiated. As the saying goes, “One day bellyful can’t fatten mawga(meagre) cow.”

According to Google, “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in psychology that outlines a hierarchical structure of human needs, with psychological needs at the base and self-actualisation at the top. The theory posits that individuals are motivated to satisfy their needs in a hierarchical order, starting with the most basic needs.”

Of course, needs can vary based on individual circumstances, but even as candidates and sitting Members of Parliament traverse their respective constituencies, it behoves them to be mindful of these needs as against wants if they are to have a winning and lasting impact on their constituents. A woman may want the latest expensive hairstyle as against providing her child with well-needed school supplies.

The needs are placed in order of priority by way of a triangle, namely:

1) Psychological needs: These are the most fundamental needs for survival, including air, water, food, shelter, clothing, and sleep.

2) Safety needs: Once psychological needs are met, individuals seek security, stability, and protection from harm, including feeling safe in their environment and having economic security.

3) Love and belonging needs: This level focuses on social connections, including the need for friendship, intimacy, family, and a sense of belonging.

4) Esteem needs: Individuals seek self-respect, recognition, and appreciation from others. This includes both self-esteem (feeling confident in one’s abilities) and the need for respect from others.

5) Self-actualisation needs: This is the highest level of the hierarchy, where individuals strive to achieve their full potential and become what they are capable of.

Maslow believed that individuals must satisfy the needs at lower levels before they can focus on higher-level needs. While initially presented as a strict hierarchy, later interpretations acknowledge that individuals may pursue multiple needs simultaneously, and needs can vary based on individual circumstances.

Now that a job description for Members of Parliament (MP) has been put before the House of Parliament for promulgation, it is hoped that elected representatives will take their jobs more seriously and adopt a more scientific approach in the way they service their constituents; seeing them more as customers and shareholders rather than welfare cases.

Too often we have heard of complaints coming from constituents revealing how MPs treat them in demeaning and condescending ways. Indeed, the only time that they are treated as “special” is when an election is in the offing and they need votes. At the same time, it is unfortunate that too many constituents idolise their MPs — seeing them as little demi-gods who they must bow down before and worship in order to be the beneficiaries of scarce benefits and spoils.

One of the needs that are oftentimes taken for granted or overlooked is recognition. Many studies have shown that individuals crave recognition more than most things and without it a politician’s ‘corner can be very dark’ on election day. That handshake, that hug, a “chups” on the cheek, calling an individual by his or her first name, or even better, nickname, stopping to acknowledge constituents instead of driving by with one’s tinted vehicle windows up, remembering birthdays, and paying respect at funerals all form part and parcel of a recipe for success for anyone who is seeking to gain favour with his or her constituents on an ongoing basis. Never take the “pressing of flesh” for granted.

Of course, kissing babies with running noses or hugging up individuals who have not practised good personal hygiene may not go down well with some politicians. The story is told about a certain female candidate in western Jamaica who, after shaking hands with all and sundry as she toured the constituency, would sanitise her hands in their presence. Needless to say, she lost her bid to enter Gordon House because “di people dem say a scorn she a scorn dem”.

Then there was the case of the wife of a MP who would burn his clothes once he returned from the hustings. A lot of votes due to him were “burned up” as a result of that intemperate exercise.

In the final analysis, in any job description, it should also be stressed that the people’s needs should be prioritised and treated in a respectable and responsive manner. In this regard, the whole business of servant leadership must be stressed, as politicians should not see themselves as being elected to become lords and ladies over their presumed subjects, but are there to serve them without stripping them of their dignity and self-respect, critical needs that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has underscored.

One of the major areas of neglect in the governance structure and process in Jamaica is the lack of sufficient attention to the social needs of the people, especially those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. More major emphasis has always been placed on the physical infrastructure, inclusive of highways, while ignoring such critical areas of the nation’s social capital, such as education and health, mental and physical well-being. The resulting fallout in social decay is more than obvious, what with the rampant indiscipline in the society, the spectre of crime and violence, lack of a qualified and skilled labour force, plus a responsible and uncaring citizenship which should serve as a wake-up call to our leaders even as they once again criss-cross the island seeking votes.

In this regard, slogans such as “Time Come” and “Choose Jamaica” ring hollow if Maslow’s needs are not being met in wholesome and strategic ways. Enough said!

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 49 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.