Peter Espeut | Towards political maturity

I voted yesterday in my 11th Jamaican general election. In my short voting life, I have seen the ruling party change five times through the ballot box, and there have been multiple landslides on both sides. Parties rise, fall, and then rise again. That is what stable democracy is all about.

Who thought the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) could rise again after four terms (18 years) in the political wilderness? But they did.

Ideological differences between left and right used to distinguish the two sides, but both have shifted towards the centre: the differences between centre-left and centre-right are too subtle to make much of a difference.

Both sides have founded garrison communities (of political exclusion), employ associated gangs of armed thugs, and have been caught in corruption scandals. Both sides have supported legislation making the detection of illicit enrichment difficult to detect and prosecute. Neither side occupies the moral high ground. How does a person of conscience choose between two evils?

MORE SOPHISTICATED

Over the years, the Jamaican electorate has become more sophisticated. Between 1944 and 1989, they practised the “two-term syndrome” where they changed colour like clockwork. Pure wisdom! Since both parties are corrupt, do not let either side keep their snouts in the trough for too long! They will get too fat! Change them regularly!

But, for how long can we keep this up? We just keep going round and round, with only minimal advancement. We need a deeper sophistication in our politics. Some political party must emerge with visionary leadership brave enough to break the cycle – to give us something to vote FOR, instead of forcing us to vote AGAINST corrupt incumbents.

Some people enter politics for the spoils, to self-aggrandise. They must be sidelined or purged; this is where strong leadership comes in.

Donors with deep pockets make corrupt demands. This is the real test of strong leadership.

Are we entering a new epoch in Jamaica’s storied history, characterised by transparency and accountability, or will we have to slog it out for the next five years waiting for another Marcus Garvey or George William Gordon to emerge?

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and development scientist.