Both the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) have ill-advisedly tried to practise a divide-and-rule approach to the question of who should govern Jamaica.

Previously, critics have bashed the PNP for declaring that “Jamaica is PNP country”, especially after its unprecedented 18-and-a-half years in office, which saw PJ Patterson leading that political organisation to a third term for the first time at last.

The JLP, no doubt emboldened by its whopping defeat of the PNP (49/14) in the 2020 General Election, is now seeking bragging rights by going after what it hopes will be a three-peat with Dr Andrew Michael Holness at the helm — a historic first for Alexander Bustamante’s party. In this vein, Holness, by his frequently abrasive utterances, has sought to hurl the PNP into the dustbin of history — Who needs an Opposition when Labourites can provide the necessary checks and balances? — while his Deputy Leader Desmond McKenzie has taken the extremist position that his party should never surrender the country to the PNP ever again.

Lest we forget, Jamaica’s modern political movement was given birth and nurtured by two cousins, Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley. At the outset, they almost joined forces to take on the British colonial system, but egos and raw opportunism got in the way; in that, even though Bustamante was on the platform of the Ward Theatre when the PNP was launched, he soon parted ways with his cousin and established the JLP. Thus began the fight for scarce benefits and spoils by two warring tribes.

However, since Jamaica became politically independent in 1962 after Manley’s failed attempt to make Jamaica a major lynchpin in the ill-fated West Indies Federation, the Jamaican people had got used to the idea of giving each party two terms, until Patterson led the PNP to its first third term in 1997. Jamaica is now on the cusp of such a possibility unfolding yet again. This time around with Holness at the helm of the JLP, a party which believes that its impressive record of performance is deserving of such a victory.

But the Mark Jefferson Golding-led PNP is firmly of the view that “time come” for a change and is pulling out all stops to make this happen. Under normal circumstances, this political race would make for good theatre, with orange and green brigades taking to the hustings and going all out to win, but one senses that there is a great deal of desperation and apprehension in both camps. For the more discerning Jamaicans who are not necessarily caught up with narrow partisan sentiments, there are pressing issues that are not being addressed in a frontal way.

In the case of the JLP, the spectre of corruption and the fear that Holness and some of his lieutenants have been exhibiting tendencies towards taking the country into an autocratic state do not sit well with well-thinking Jamaicans. The repeated onslaughts on the Integrity Commission and the arrogant stance oftentimes taken by prime minister and JLP Leader Holness do not sit well with Jamaicans who are wary of the country becoming a glorified banana republic or, even worse, a kakistocracy. There is also the concern that this JLP Administration is yet to come to terms with the fact that its “trickle-down” approach to socio-economic development is not working and that in real terms there is much social decay and economic hardship among the masses that not even an occasional KFC binge can assuage.

On the other hand, while adopting “a drip-drip” approach to outlining its policies and plans should it become Government, the PNP has been struggling with the big elephant in the room: Is Jamaica really ready for a “Marky British” to lead it into becoming a republic, once and for all getting rid of the vestiges of colonialism. The JLP has been both subtly and not so subtly using the race card on the hustings, and it is no secret that even within the rank and file of the PNP there is still some amount of misgiving with respect to his lineage.

In the meantime, Golding has defied the odds and come into his own as the legitimate leader of Jamaica’s oldest political party, one that has espoused black power and pan-Africanism. And perhaps his greatest asset as PNP leader is that he has very little baggage and comes across as relatively squeaky clean. He also has an unassuming, non-combative persona, which is at the same time assertive and caring, and he is undeniably a committed patriot.

When all is said and done, the JLP and the PNP ought not to be going down the road of divisive politics. The JLP should desist from targeting Golding in a racist framework and the PNP should begin to focus more on policy and positive messages instead of forever painting a picture of doom and gloom. It has been said that in a war it is not about who wins, but what is left. Neither the JLP nor the PNP can afford to go into a battle that leaves the country in tatters.

Indeed, when the dust settles, there must be sufficient room left for rapprochement and a national holding of hands as every Jamaican is urged to be part of the solution and not the problem, with respect to making our beloved country the “embodiment of Vision 2030, which is about creating a vibrant society in which all citizens can thrive and pursue their passions. A strong, social infrastructure that is underpinned by a society that values cultural traditions, national pride, and modern amenities”.

In the final analysis, both Comrades and Labourites must come together and say “a fi wi country”, our place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business.

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.

Alexander Bustamante

Norman Manley

Mark Golding

Dr Andrew Holness (Philp Lemonte)