ALL parliamentarians must reside in the communities they seek to represent, says Carlos Daley, head of the relatively new political organisation, the Jamaica Patriotic Movement (JPM).

“You be the leader in your community. You start it, don’t let nobody come into your community that don’t live there and want to represent you,” was one of the most welcomed proposals from the JPM manifesto “The Way Forward”, which was handed out at its meeting at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on Sunday.

Daley advised the audience that the electorate already has trained persons in their communities to cover their professional representation.

“You have teachers, you have lawyers and doctors…and the minute you want us to come into your community [to assist] just call me,” Daley, an experienced chief executive officer (CEO) with a history of working in the financial services industry in the United States before returning to Jamaica told a relatively small crowd at the centre.

He insisted that, with the possibility of an election in the near future, the JPM has to move now to ensure co-operation with similar organisations which are not satisfied with current proposals for constitutional changes, and a number of other developments in the country.

“We must shock the political system. It is power and you can’t improve anything without power, but how are you going to achieve it if it is the same…They are going to come with all kinds of legal crop, but you can’t beat a popular response or a popular vote,” he insisted.

“We are going to start promoting, call it campaign. That’s what we are going to call it and working class people campaign, too…and you be the leader in your community. You start it. Don’t let anybody come into your community that don’t live there and want to represent you,” he warned.

But, Daley also admitted that efforts to seek the recognition of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) had failed in the past, because of lack of political support and a foundation upon which the JPM could develop into a serious challenger. He admitted, however, that it could create challenges outside of a political party, at this point.

He said that the JPM was looking forward to the next election, and would retain the name of the four-year-old Jamaica Patriotic Movement (JPM) without being registered as a political party.

The ECJ’s guideline for registration of political parties or any organisation or body of individual citizens of Jamaica as a political party, states that the organisation or body is required to make an application to the commission giving therein full particulars which are required under section 52D of the Representation of the People Act (the Act).

Part VB of the Act sets out certain conditions that must be met in order to be registered as a political party. Additional particulars are required under The Political Parties Registration Regulations, 2017, and before completing the application form, it is recommended that Part VB of the Act be read.

The application is to be addressed to the Registrar of Political Parties and the application should be typed on the party’s letterhead, if any, and it should be sent by registered post or delivered to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties at 16 Red Hills Road, Kingston 10.

However, Daley said Sunday that he is aware that, “they are going to come up with all kinds of legal crop, but you can’t beat a popular response or a popular vote”.

In addition to passing out copies of a booklet titled “Recommended New Jamaican Constitution”, which is filled with new options for improved constitutional changes, the JPM also issued copies of its “The Way Forward” agenda.

Among the guest speakers were: Ambassador Fermin Quinones Sanchez (Cuba); a representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; as well as Jamaicans Lloyd D’Aguilar, People’s Anti-Corruption Movement; Peter Townsend, National Democratic Movement (NDM); and Heru Ishakamusa Menelik, Marcus Garvey’s People’s Political Party (MPPP).