Ashley-Ann Foster hops onto the political train

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Several months ago when 25-year-old Ashley-Ann Foster expressed her desire to enter representational politics, her parents were not in the least surprised.

The young attorney-at-law had over the years witnessed her parents’ — especially her mother, Jeanne Robinson Foster, a prominent western Jamaica-based attorney — involvement in community life and had seen the sacrifices that they were making in an effort to provide service to fellow Jamaicans.

“She (Ashley) was born to service. I can recall that the first public photo of her was taken when she was six months old and it was at a Soroptimist meeting. At that time I was the president of the club and so she had to come to meetings with me,” said Robinson Foster, who has chaired numerous school boards, a raft of committees across St James and is a past president of the influential Cornwall Bar Association.

So committed is Foster Robinson in providing service, that inspite of her hectic workload at the law firm Robinson, Foster and Associates, the veteran attorney still finds time to chair the board of the Good Shepherd Foundation, which has positively impacted the lives of thousands of people across western Jamaica.

The eminent lawyer is also a member of the General Legal Council and sits on its Disciplinary Council. She has also imparted her knowledge and has given sound advice to thousands of students at many graduation ceremonies across the western region.

Foster Robinson revealed in an interview with the Jamaica Observer that during Ashley’s childhood days she had to assist the family in various community outreach projects.

“She had to help in making things happen. For example, we had a basic school (Soroptimist We Care Basic School and Day Care Centre) and she is very involved in that. Her clothes and toys would be audited every year and whatever she felt that she could share had to go to other children,” said Foster Robinson.

“She was fully aware from she was a child that once you have outgrown something, or you feel that you no longer require it, then if you can share it with someone else, then you should, so that has been her mantra from the beginning. Put it this way, her life has been a life of service, that’s the only life we know as a family,” she explained.

Last Sunday, the young and charming attorney was elected unopposed as chair of the People’s National Party (PNP’s) East Central St James constituency at the party’s annual conference held at the John Rollins Success Primary School in the parish.

The constituency has been represented by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ed Bartlett since 2002.

The post had become vacant since the departure of Cedric Stewart, the son of a former PNP councillor in the constituency, who narrowly lost to the 63-year-old Bartlett, who is also a former Cabinet minister, in the 2011 General Election.

Bartlett had polled 6,382 votes to Stewart’s 6,208, while independent candidate Royston Richards got 24, in the roughly 51 per cent voter turn-out in the constituency.

Stewart is currently the managing director of Caymanas Track Limited.

A day after Foster was elected, a number of persons  blasted the young attorney for not declaring that she was a member of Generation 2000 (G2K) and a supporter of the JLP as far back as 2007. Others charged that Foster was up to two months ago affiliated to the group — a charge she has denied.

A photograph, showing a smiling Foster and a JLP supporter donning green polo shirts emblazoned with picture of Member of Parliament for North West St James Dr Horace Chang, celebrating the JLP’s victory in the 2007 General Election, also made the rounds on social media.

But in a statement later released by Foster, she admitted that she was in fact a member of G2K, “but only for a short time when I was about 17 years old.”

“I saw first-hand how G2K operated and I was not into the tribalism, immaturity, opposing for the sake of opposing and back-stabbing and back-biting, all of which the JLP is unfortunately too well known for,” she said, citing reasons for leaving the JLP’s young professional group.

“I am a young Jamaican who is steadfastly focused on nation-building. I didn’t want to dissipate my energy on a party’s internal divisions, but rather on building the country.”

She told the Sunday Observer last Thursday that she came to the PNP upon her return home from five years at university overseas and “I was welcomed and trusted, right away, to join the Policy Commission, and now to be elected the Chair of East Central St James with overwhelming support from the party is humbling.”

Arguing that she is very comfortable in the PNP, Foster said:

“I only want to be appreciated for my work. I have met real nation-builders in the PNP and I am very appreciative of the very experienced leaders who have embraced me and are working with me.”

She stressed that many Jamaicans have voted and contested elections for both parties because it is their right to do so, adding that she intends to “work with Jamaicans of all sides, who are decent, fair-minded, respectful and who deserve the best that the political system can offer them as Jamaicans.

“I prefer to be judged by my actions and I have presented a resolution to the East Central St James constituency to develop a plan for inclusive development in the western region, which was passed. I intend to get started on a committee to be in charge of developing this plan right away,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Earlier, she said that she wants East Central St James to reflect the idealism and vigour of the youth.

“As a woman, I want the constituency to represent family, children and women’s issues on matters of jobs, education and violence. As a lawyer, I want a just order where human rights are respected. As a member of the ‘west’ I want a more active role for local governance in district, community and parish governance. As a Jamaican, I want the best for my country. I want an equitable society where people have opportunities and where everyone who is willing to work hard and honestly can get the support they need to advance themselves,” she added.

Insisting that she always believed in the duty to serve, Foster said that as chairman of the constituency, she plans to develop a job description for the post.

“We must know in precise terms what our responsibilities are if we are to hold ourselves accountable. We too often expect our representatives — parliamentary or constituency — to be all things to all people. Then, we feel disappointed when we do not get what was impossible to get from them in the first place. We have lacked a job description for our MPs and we need one. The same is true for our constituency management team,” said Foster, a graduate of the University of Cambridge and the University of Buckingham, both in England.

She stressed that she has long been told by her mother that after completing her studies at university overseas, she had a duty to come back home and make a contribution to her country.

East Central St James comprises a number of deep rural communities such as Chatham, Paisley, Goodwill and Latium which are characterised by poor infrastructure.

On the other hand, however, the constituency also encompasses the developed Rose Hall area, which has seen millions of dollars worth of investment in recent years.

In the 2011 General Election roughly 24,800 persons were eligible to vote in the constituency, but at the close of the polls 12,848 of them had voted.

This, Foster said, is unacceptable.

“I want more voters to be involved in the political process, as voters and as citizens. I want a participatory democracy and I want more local, and community participation. I believe in building from the bottom up as well as from the top down. I want people to understand that it is they who must make politics work for them,” she argued.

“Let us take a current issue as vital as water. I want to see more done about the water situation here (East Central St James). We cannot blame the ministry when we and our local leadership are not doing enough to canvas for a functional water supply system.

“Participatory democracy requires that more constituents take part in determining how funds are used, such as the CDF. How is it to be apportioned between say, provision of water, education, job creation, entrepreneurship and so on… what projects should be established for these funds and how can these projects be transparent and accountable,” she argued.

She expressed delight in being given the opportunity to help facilitate the process whereby every citizen can come to know and empower themselves, stressing that she believes in giving back.

“I want an equitable society where people have opportunities and where everyone who is willing to work hard and honestly can get the support they need to advance themselves,” she emphasised.

She said that her immediate focus is to organise the three parish council divisions in the constituency and to return them to the PNP in the upcoming local government elections.

The young attorney said she shares the hope of Prime Minister and President of the PNP Portia Simpson Miller that more women will become active in politics.

“Women are as active and competent as men. I have the honour of working with experienced fighters for women’s causes — Beverly Manley Duncan and Senator Imani Duncan-Price, among others,” she noted.

“I also reject the view of the Opposition that the Prime minister has been neglecting the poor. If one looks at the number of announcements that have been made by her, one will see through this political gimmick easily. PATH, NHT, health benefits… have all increased. Importantly, more people are employed and that is the key. People must work their way out of poverty. Investments have increased so that there are more businesses being started up. The Opposition, I’m afraid, are trying to detract attention from the very positive reports on the economy that have been coming out,” Foster argued.

Robinson Foster believes that her daughter — her only child — means well and is supporting her wholeheartedly.

“I support her, I stand beside her and know she has her heart in the right place and I know that what she wants is the amelioration of many things in this country… to make us stronger, to make us better; to provide opportunities and to empower people,” said the veteran attorney.

“I certainly think she will give good service, she has seen the examples of many wonderful people in this community and in this country, and she has seen the kind of service that has been given to all of the age groups, from old to young,” she stated.