Yvette J Rowe

Yvette Jennifer Rowe

Jamaican election results leave JLP with a political hangover

Written By: yjr - Jan• 01•12

Some stalwarts stayed, big names got bumped and the Jamaica Labour Party, JLP, lost out in a race that some had said was too close to call and some called. The December 29 2011, Jamaican General Election, spelt defeat for the JLP and victory for the Peoples National Party, PNP.

There were shades of other campaigns when the JLP drew the crowds to the public meetings and conferences but couldn’t translate that at the ballot box.

It’s like having a party and inviting 100  people who tell you they are absolutely, definitely coming and finding yourself picking at soggy sandwiches, with the ten people who did come, but can’t stay long.

The party with free education up to secondary level and which introduced free healthcare lost out to an opposition that campaigned as the caring people’s party.

It should have gone so different some say, if the JLP had spent more time talking up the positives rather than talking the negatives of the PNP. It is either they did not get that message across or for some reason the electorate didn’t care that much or the new JLP leader inherited too much political baggage to really make a fresh start.

Political ads by the youth arm of the JLP; G2k went for the PNP leader, Portia Simpson Miller’s jugular but didn’t hit a major artery.

Attacking PNP leader Portia Simpson – Miller is the political equivalent of taking a bat to a Panda.

In attacking Portia did G2k inadvertently push the ahh… button in people’s minds…?

What the ads definitely did was put Portia Simpson Miller and her party people front and  vaguely left of centre in people’s minds night after night.

Some  attack ads trumpeted (sic) that  the JLP leader, young and vibrant intelligent, Andrew Holness (and he is) did not need papers to read from when he spoke. Maybe he should have used them to remind him not to suggest that you don’t need intellectuals.

Many of us don’t really know what  intellectuals are talking about when they speak, even  with a dictionary or Google, we just know they serve  some mysterious purpose and bad things happen when countries turn against the intellectuals.

The JLP also complained about the media but perhaps it should have kept that private and grinned and not bared it for all to see in the photo op.  As Oscar Wilde is said to have said, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about, seems to have worked for Portia.

There is off course a lot more to the election, the results and the message the people sent the politicians on both sides,  some obvious some not so. The JLP will as it has said be reflecting on this as it moves into the opposition and rebuilding mode in the New Year.

 

People Power Wins Big in Jamaican General Elections

Written By: yjr - Dec• 30•11

The opposition Peoples National Party scored a resounding victory in the Jamaican general elections, winning 41 out of the 63 seats contested.

The ruling  Jamaica Labour party  took 22 seats.

In her victory speech Peoples National Party Leader Portia Simpson- Miller, thanked the people for giving her her mandate and the Prime Minister  for his concession telephone call which she  described  as very gracious.

The speech was heavy on love, togetherness, thanks for the victory and wishes for peace, there was little on what we are to expect  but these occasions are rarely about that, and given the  scale of the victory perhaps the party  can not be blamed for wanting to savour the moment before getting down to the hard work of governing  the country.

The Prime Minister elect,  told the country that they would hear from the party  soon, as it organised to take over the government.  She promised that as the PNP move to balance the books it will be moving to balance people’s lives too.

Speaking of his party’s defeat a sombre  Jamaica Labour Party leader Andrew Holness spoke about the need for the party to rebuild and start campaigning for the next election he added that it was a humbling experience and there will need to be a time of introspection and reflection.

It was a triumphant turn around  for Simpson – Miller from the defeat in 2007, when after becoming Prime Minister when PJ Patterson stepped down  after a leadership race within the party, she fought and lost her first election campaign   from that position.

As the results came in things began to look bleak for the JLP as some key  candidates lost to the PNP and the number of declared PNP seats began to rack up towards the 30 plus mark.

Some suggest that this was a vote to vote out the JLP rather than vote in the PNP, whilst others say it was an election  possibility squandered by the JLP because of off kilter strategy, bad timing and percieved arrogance.

Whatever the motivation of the electorate the results are in are in and winners and losers alike have to get on with what lies ahead now the nation has decided.