Gordon Robinson | Vazland breached!

Post election, the loudest public kerfuffle surrounded the query “how cum ‘Action Ann’ lose to ‘Little Youth’ in East Portland?”

I was among those pre-election pundits who carelessly placed Portland East in the JLP win column as part of “Vazland.” Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa! I made a similar error the other way in Central Manchester putting that one in PNP’s win column because I expected Rhoda to be left on her own. But JLP hierarchy confounded me by campaigning in Central Manchester and Rhoda, an excellent, hard working MP, held off a spirited PNP challenge.

Early in the campaign, Daryl publicly told PM not to return to Portland as he had matters in hand. Much later PM over-ruled Daryl and returned to campaign there which should’ve spoken volumes to me and others that Daryl felt the pole coming. In the end he was poled and Action Ann polled out.

What happened?

Post-election, Ann was gracious thanking her constituents and congratulating the winner. Daryl, always the pragmatist, addressed the issue by saying that JLP strongholds didn’t come out as significantly as expected for Ann. But that begs the further question: Why? Action Ann was a model MP whose focus was always the constituency’s development rather than individual handouts.

On reflection, maybe I was too taken with Daryl’s well earned reputation as a political magician who would ensure Portland remained Vazland. In reality Action Ann was facing her first real election. The 2019 by-election was (how can I put this politely?) complicated. The bottom line was that a PNP win wouldn’t have changed Government but a PNP loss would be a boon to Rise United. That discontented faction had long contemplated a leadership challenge to Peter Phillips because they felt PNP under his leadership was doomed to lose the next election. The 2020 election was, well, you know what happened there. The result was NOT REAL.

So what happened in East Portland on September 3 wasn’t only due to Daryl’s post-election factoid. It was also a political correction as the constituency returned to its three decades long roots. Even more reflection reveals that Ann actually did very well all things considered. Post-election, a lifelong resident of and respected voice in East Portland wrote to me:

“I’ve been a supporter of Mrs. Vaz since her first by-election campaign and, since then, happy to encourage her efforts to improve the Parish not only by surfacing as many of the roads that badly needed improving to change them from obstacle courses with bad surfaces that inevitably destroyed our cars but also by her frequent events to celebrate with school-children and residents at times like back-to-school, Christmas and Independence. She always exuded a happy personality and seemed to love and be loved by her Constituents. So, like many, I was surprised at the outcome.”

I keep saying, nothing in this world is as it appears. Her focus on development is what might have worked against her politically as it once did against Damion Crawford in St. Andrew East. More from my correspondent:

“But the reasons for Buchannan’s win stare openly in the faces of those blind to reality. Yes, there’s the support he had gained by successfully maintaining Kartel’s petition to the Privy Council that overturned his conviction and imprisonment… Kartel wasn’t found innocent of the murder for which he was convicted but the Jamaican courts decided a re-trial would be impossible so Kartel was freed and the smear of murder is conveniently forgotten while he continues to earn from stage shows money that has made him the richest living Jamaican.

“Kartel’s obvious financial support of Buchannan’s election campaign will certainly have influenced the youthful Jamaican fans who decided to vote. Visions of future shows in Port Antonio Square are certainly in the minds of many who never made it to the National Stadium or Sumfest. Don’t forget Buchanan is the son of one of reggae’s icons, Big Youth, so that will be quite a show! There’s also the alleged donation of…..laptops to youth…”

The vibes Little Youth brought to East Portland undoubtedly resonated especially with younger voters. But there’s another undercurrent that can’t be ignored. As my East Portland correspondent wrote:

“However, the most important reason overlooked is the matter of Black versus White. Despite the many who hadn’t found Mark Golding’s English ancestry and ‘White-ness’ a disincentive to vote, there can be no doubt there were voters who preferred to vote for Buchannan as a Black man than for Ann-Marie, a White woman. Moreover, Mrs. Vaz wasn’t only White but married to an equally White and very rich husband controlling the other half of Portland. Port Antonio’s reputation as the home of many White millionaires, from Errol Flynn and his wife Patrice Wymore, to Ernie Smatt, owner of San San Beach, Earl Levy, builder of Trident Castle and Hotel, …… created a massive racial and economic division between Portland’s tribes that increases constantly, while the Black population remain no more than servants in the ‘slavemaster’ homes overlooking the Portland coastline.”

When my correspondent refers to Daryl as “white” I understand the context in which that statement is made. In Jamaica, people of Daryl’s complexion are often mischaracterized as “white”. I’ve seen this phenomenon for decades at the race track where some of the leading racehorse trainers were often lumped together and derisively dubbed “white trainers” despite their obvious disconnect from the Caucasian race. Their light skin colour was considered “white”. Action Ann, herself as Jamaican in heritage, origin, upbringing, language (no “beautiful speaking” there) and behaviour as you can get, is damned as “white” because of skin colour. But neither Daryl nor Ann is truly “white”. In USA, both would be labeled “coloured” or “black”.

But my correspondent’s point remains valid. As I said to a bewildered PNP supporter who asked me “How Mrs. Vaz lose to Isat Buchanan?” she lost for many reasons one of which was also among the reasons Mark Golding (who had heritage as an additional strike against him) lost to Andrew Holness. My correspondent made yet another similarly salient point:

“Another forgotten factor in the election decision was the Maroon communities of Portland. Nanny, our female Maroon national heroine, ruled the Portland hills and was never defeated. Her story is even more legendary than that of Cudjoe who signed the infamous Peace Treaty of the Accompong Maroons as she never wanted to make peace with the British but said Maroons should fight until all the British were defeated.

“The Maroon communities of Nanny Town, Flagstaff, Charles Town, Moore Town, Berrydale and the surrounding villages remain tied to Jamaica’s slavery history by the poverty out of which they’ve barely escaped. It couldn’t have taken much for Buchanan, who claims Maroon ancestry, to have aligned himself with the Portland Maroon communities and he would’ve had the encouragement and assistance of Accompong leader Richard Currie who seeks to be crowned Colonel of all Jamaican Maroons.

“With the dancehall votes, coupled with the Maroon votes, Buchanan’s win for the PNP isn’t surprising and would’ve been even more important, had the PNP won, as Golding had promised much to Rastas, Maroons and – speak it softly – the LGBT communities.”

We must think on these uncomfortable realities. This is another manifestation of PNP’s black vs white 1990s political strategy which has mushroomed until it has bitten PNP in its sagging rear-end. But its bite now affects both parties and is a warning to every political party in its future candidate selection.

Watch out. PNP created a monster. The monster now knows no political boundary. My correspondent concluded:

“I look forward to seeing what Buchanan does with his victory in such issues as access to the Blue Lagoon and Winnifred Beach as well as what I’m informed was an effort to turn the East Harbour beachside from a capture land for micro-businesses and informal residences into a tourism-friendly boardwalk. Without the expected PNP government to help him, it won’t be an easy five years for Big Youth’s son.”

Kareck.

Little Youth might be able to use vibes to win a constituency election. But this rookie MP is about to find out what it means to be an Opposition MP in Jamaica’s winner-take-all system. Wusserer, he’s geographically surrounded by Government MPs including the husband of the lady he unseated.

Fun and games...

Peace and Love.

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