Gordon Robinson | The essence of passengers

It was two weeks after Apocrypha’s general elections but Oma D’unn was still busy fielding electoral complaints.

Regular visitors to that fantasyland where all politicians are friends remember retired politician Oma D’unn. Oma, like a moon, was bright only in the dark, but had the knack of solving political dilemmas with parables.

This time his post-election client was no politician but Chairperson of Apocrypha’s electoral watchdog organization, Citizens Operating For Fair Electoral Experiences (COFFEE), Princess Grace. Grace was distressed by the Electoral Commission’s public disapproval of an initial report seemingly alleging widespread voter suppression.

“We never said anything like that. We mentioned reports from our observers not EC’s polling stations” Grace complained to Oma “How can I get Apocryphans to understand that?”

Oma advised Grace to buy a taxi. She didn’t get what he was driving at (see what I did there?) so Oma told her the story of a taxi driver who lost control.

“A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question.

The driver screamed; lost control; nearly hit a bus; mounted the sidewalk; and stopped inches from a shop window.

For a few seconds, everything was quiet. Then the driver said ‘Don’t ever do that again. You scared the living daylights out of me!’

The passenger apologized and said ‘I didn’t realize a little tap would scare you so much.’

The driver replied, ‘Sorry, it’s not really your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver. For the last 25 years I’ve been driving a hearse.’”

Grace wasn’t following so Oma explained that, if you’re going to be a passenger in someone else’s vehicle you should speak their language and not expect your communications will be clear to the vehicle’s owner, driver or other passengers.

In Jamaica, a similarly misunderstood molehill created a contentious mountain that unnecessarily consumed hours of expensive media space.

On September 4, RJR, reported “CAFFE said, in 21 per cent of the polling stations reporting, persons in line at the close of poll at 5 p.m. were not allowed to vote.” Many Jamaicans took this to mean that 21 per cent of ALL polling stations experienced this problem. PNP trolls grabbed this ball and ran with it all over social media platforms. Voter suppression was the new rallying cry. “We wuz robbed” they insisted!

CLAIMS DENIED

Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) issued a public statement denying CAFFE’s report and demanding a retraction. As it turned out, according to CAFFE’s Chairperson, what was intended was that 21 per cent of CAFFE’s OBSERVERS (not ECJ polling stations) reporting made that allegation. The Chairperson stoutly defended CAFFE’s initial report saying it should’ve been obvious to readers that Observers weren’t everywhere so CAFFE couldn’t be reporting an island wide number.

Obvious how? To which reader? In a population where only 19 per cent passed five CSEC subjects including Maths and English? Is comprehension even a CSEC subject? Why’s the onus on readers to contextualize CAFFE’s statement?

Somewhere, lost in the fine print of her stout defence, the Chairperson admitted volunteer observers misunderstood the survey question. In reality, there was only one instance of a voter turned away who disputed the exclusion. So, no matter how that 21 per cent number was read or understood, it was egregiously WRONG. CAFFE Chairperson agreed a clarification (not retraction) was going to be issued.

CAFFE was wrong. Period! Instead of defensive deflecting CAFFE Chairperson must have the grace to accept CAFFE misled the public no matter how innocently. To write “21 per cent of polling stations reporting” and expect an undereducated population to read between the lines and see you meant 21 per cent of those visited is unreasonable. And, at the end of the day, reality revealed only one possible breach,

For pity’s sake. ONE voter dispute? Really? Seriously?

Voter suppression is a dangerous allegation especially in Jamaica’s highly charged political environment. And it seems CAFFE’s out-of-control taxi has picked up one too many passengers as ONE WEEK after PNP’s leader conceded defeat PNP was still whining, at a September 11 presser, about vote buying, voter suppression, long lines, voter frustration blah blah blah. These are all features of EVERY election. Why is PNP quick to accept a Panderson Poll of 1,000 registered voters but questions a poll with a sample size of over 800,000 actual voters?

C’Mon Man!

Instead of hawking sour grapes on every roadside, PNP should look for leaders capable of developing a vision of a new Jamaica for which voters can vote. Anything you can do I can do better won’t cut it in Jamaica 21st century. Instead of creating political distraction with “clarifications”, CAFFE should publish a retraction and apology; focus on difficulties encountered by real voters; and advocate for real solutions like early voting, including mail-in voting; upgraded voting machines; and two consecutive public holidays for in-person voting.

Peace and Love.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com