KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica First Movement (JFM), under the leadership of Chairman Reverend Al Miller, on Monday launched “Your Vote is Your Voice”, a campaign encouraging Jamaicans who are displeased with all options to still vote and mark the ‘0’ on their ballots.

JFM says the campaign is designed to combat voter apathy and empower Jamaicans to vote with a clear conscience.

“Your conscience is a gift from God, and it must be obeyed. But do not mistake a troubled conscience for permission to stay home. A troubled conscience is a command to act. If you cannot vote for any candidate in good faith, you must still go to the polls and record your dissatisfaction. On your ballot is a powerful option: mark ‘0’ beside ALL the names to declare your dissatisfaction. This signifies ‘none of the above’. This is not a wasted vote. It is a recorded statement, a data point of conviction that says, ‘I was present and engaged, but the options presented did not meet the minimum standard,” the JFM said.

The party claimed that this vote would cement that voters are saying:

—    I want Jamaica to win, not a party;

—    I demand character and qualification in our leaders;

—    I demand an agenda that protects the vulnerable and upholds human dignity; and

—    I demand better. The current offering is not good enough.

The campaign follows JFM’s recent separation from the Jamaica Progressive Party (JPP), a decision the party said was made to preserve its core mission of putting country over politics.

“JFM maintains its steadfast commitment to healing decades of national division by working to establish a government of national unity. This foundational vision for national unity was the principle that undergirded the alliance with the JPP, but a fundamental difference on this issue led to the dissolution of the partnership.”

Miller apologised for “raising the hopes of many who were looking for an option towards real change, and the inability to realise it through that political alliance”.