A dollars and no sense election?

This will undoubtedly be a high stakes general election in more ways than one.

For starters, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader and Prime Minister Dr Andrew Michael Holness is seeking to make history by taking his party to an unprecedented third term. On the other hand, the political fortunes of the People’s National Party (PNP) may be dashed to pieces if it is again left out in the wilderness after all the votes have been counted on September 3, 2025. And most importantly, the winning party will be saddled with the task of leading Jamaica into becoming a full-fledged republic, no longer holding on to the coat-tails of the British monarchy.

But these are not the only issues that will be at stake when Jamaicans go to the polls, hopefully in large numbers. Should the JLP lose, the PNP has been threatening to send some parliamentarians in the now ruling Holness Administration to prison for what it deem to be corrupt practices, including the prime minister for alleged illicit enrichment — which Dr Holness has denied and so far has not been proven. On the other hand, many fear that a third-term JLP may pursue a dictatorial path, ruling the country with an iron fist, taking no prisoners.

In the meantime, should PNP President Mark Jefferson Golding fail to bring home the bacon for the Comrades, the future viability of his leadership could be severely compromised and this, of course, could send the PNP into another tailspin as it struggles to find a new leader should “Markie G” decide to step aside. At the same time, Dr Holness could face a similar fate if the JLP loses, especially if it is a decisive loss.

Already, there is mounting speculation that in such a scenario the party’s public relations guru and popular second-tier leader (so say the polls consistently) Dr Christopher Tufton may be foisted into a leadership race. This, of course, could prove to be a very cataclysmic affair as there would be a great deal of finger pointing at Holness, the leader, and Tufton, the campaign manager. Already, the ghost of that KD Knight lawsuit is looming large and may well turn out to be a ‘Knightmare’ for the JLP, financially and otherwise.

Against this backdrop, the fact that the polls are showing a neck-and-neck race between Comrades and Labourites tells us, in my opinion, the stage is being set for a great deal of skulduggery and chicanery, inclusive of intimidation, stuffing of ballot boxes, and vote-buying. It must be noted that Jamaica’s Westminster-type electoral system is, in essence, a first-past-the-post, winner takes all. In this vein, a party can gain the most popular votes and still lose the election by way of seat counts. So, in this case, when the race is so tight, desperate men (and women) will resort to whatever means necessary to make sure their party of choice romps home to victory.

Anecdotally, it is being bandied about that people are being offered up to $500,000 not to vote for a particular party. In the final analysis, it is no secret that, with or without the approval of party central, potential voters are wooed by monetary gifts. Indeed, the fact that parties spend millions of dollars during the campaign is not just related to the traditional set of activities and paraphernalia as well as logistics and organisational matters. This is when “curry goat” politics becomes an integral part of the parties’ campaigning, as in order to attract and maintain crowd support (usually comprising, apart from the party faithful, mainly opportunists, hangers-on, and hustlers ), large amounts of cash must be given away along with T-shirts, armbands, and vuvuzelas, among other trinkets.

In this regard, it behoves the parties to sometimes do a survey to determine how many of these people thronging their campaign gigs even have a vote or intend to vote. Serious thing! Vote-buying takes two forms: vote for the party who pays or don’t vote for the other party. This is a one-off transaction which is as senseless as it is self-defeating in the long run.

Well-thinking citizens may well wonder why after some Members of Parliament have been elected they become missing in action? Is it because they know the ropes, in that they can rely on vote-buying, among other shenanigans, to secure their seat in Gordon House? To put it bluntly, vote-buying is a despicable and unpatriotic act that should not be encouraged. Ultimately, it is a clear and present danger to our democratic way of life which must be policed most vigorously by the relevant authorities. Unfortunately, it has become so ingrained in the sociopolitical culture of Jamaica, it will not be easily expunged or discouraged.

In a society that has become overly materialistic and thrives on immediate self-gratification, not to mention that so many Jamaicans have repeatedly been saying “a pox on both their houses” in relation to the JLP and the PNP, politics has become merely transactional so many potential voters demand “their pound of flesh” upfront in order to be persuaded to dip their finger in the ink. And it may not necessarily be cash, some want a few building blocks to finish a room, cement, domestic animals, school fees, and back-to-school items, etc. Indeed, at election time the greedy oftentimes makes a killing, getting as much as they can knowing full well that they will have to wait another four to five years for another bonanza — never mind what happens between now and then. But, alas, “One day bellyful cyan fatten mawga cow!” But do they care?

Every well-thinking Jamaican should, therefore, be concerned that this crucial General Election 2025 may well be more about dollars rather than common sense. Let us hope that even if Tom drunk (what with the liquor, food, and goodies, plus cash) he will not be a fool on election day. Jamaica deserves better.

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.

The stakes are high for the two main political parties facing the electorate on September 3.