If Jamaica never before needed its Diaspora, she does now, at a time when rebuilding the country from the battering of Hurricane Melissa last October 28. This is a priority no well-thinking Jamaican will contest.

That is why we in this space are somewhat perplexed by the combative tone taken by junior foreign minister Mr Alando Terrelonge in his response to voices in the Diaspora which have called for boycotting elections now underway for membership on the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC).

We expect that, as a seasoned diplomat would do, Mr Terrelonge, who heads the council, would seek to de-escalate a potential brouhaha in the Diaspora, instead of, as he seems to be doing, pouring kerosene oil on a simmering dispute.

“While diverse views are healthy for democratic governance, it is deeply concerning when attempts are made to disrupt or discredit a legitimate and transparent process through mischief, misinformation, and propaganda,” Mr Terrelonge came out swinging in a press statement last week.

The 2026 Diaspora elections have been underway since January 28 and will end on February 20, choosing representatives to sit on the 30-member GJDC and its youth arm, the Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council, largely in the three countries with big Jamaican populations — US, UK and Canada.

The elections were postponed because of the passage of the hurricane, in order to prioritise and organise relief and recovery efforts in support of Jamaica, but have resumed “as Jamaica transitions from emergency response to rebuilding”, Mr Terrelonge said.

However, a former head of the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board, which preceded the GJDC for the North-east United States (US), Mr Patrick Beckford, called for a boycott of the elections, arguing for “an independent, Diaspora-controlled body, one which is autonomous and free from any government ministerial connection or control”.

“The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council was never meant to be a ministerial extension or a loyalty test. It was meant to be fearless and accountable to the Diaspora and not to politicians,” said Mr Beckford. He proposed that the body in its present form be scrapped and return to the people it was meant to serve.

Mr Beckford was joined by another prominent member of the Diaspora, Dr Rupert Francis, who suggested that, “Jamaica should not run the GJDC… In short this is tantamount to a travesty.”

Apparently, Mr Terrelonge saw no need to seek unity around the rebuilding process. He declared that “calls for disengagement are disingenuous and without merit”, accusing the two men of seeking to undermine the voting process and making efforts “to disrupt or discredit legitimate and transparent processes”.

These are fighting words that, unless the minister can show how they are justified, he appears to be using a sledgehammer to swat a fly. Otherwise, he should be reminded that, at home, the prime minister has been calling for unity at a time when it is sorely needed.

Of course, Mr Terrelonge might know something we do not, and it would therefore behove him to share it with the public.

Indeed, while he was happy to point out that a record 51 candidates are vying for positions on the council, he might also explain why only an estimated 3,000 Jamaicans voted in the 2023 elections, from an estimated two to three million in the Diaspora.