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| Evan Dixon, MA |
The Jamaican General Election is fast approaching, and I thought it an appropriate time to share some of my musings about Jamaican politics as I understand it. The election is slated for September 3, and campaigning, unsurprisingly, has gone on with seemingly little regard for ‘Aunty Rona’. Now consider for a moment the last time you have seen or even heard the name of your elected Member of Parliament. Should you find yourself struggling to remember, but have ultimately come to realize that it was a couple years ago around this time, we have a problem.
If you were a woman being courted by a man that never made any effort to see you, made promises on which he rarely delivers, but shows up every four years to sweep you off your feet, only to vanish once you’ve pledged your allegiance to him, what would you do? Would you continue to remain loyal to him, or hunt him down and threaten to flatten all four of his tires if he doesn’t treat you better? If your answer is the former, then congratulations you are an invaluable member of the Jamaican electorate.
I’m sure many of us will fuss and decry the actions of our policymakers, for ignoring the unprecedented circumstances in which we find ourselves, but ultimately that anger and frustration will be replaced by a newer, and shinier thing to get red in the face about. We always look for the next thing to criticize and the next person to blame. I often wonder if it is the very nature of people to ascribe blame to anyone except the man in the mirror. Politicians are by no means on Santa’s good list (most of them anyway), but we too deserve some coal in our stockings.
The Man in the Mirror
Whenever a society decides to democratically elect people into positions of power, there is a social exchange that occurs between the public, and the public figures. In exchange for elevated status, access to resources, and discretion on how those resources are used, the public receives the right hold those in power accountable for their actions. Truthfully, as a society we haven’t done a very good job of this, and we are paying the price. The violence and corruption that has plagued Jamaican politics, is evidence of the just how blind we are to our responsibilities.
The division of the public makes it easier for those in power to place their interests ahead of our own. Whatever our differences, the thing we all have in common, is a desire to live a life that is better than the one we live now. I am not certain when it happened, but somehow, the self-interests of those elected have become more important than the collective interests of the country’s people. We bear some of the responsibility for our own reality, because we have not exercised an attention span long enough to see to it that politicians are doing their due diligence. We underestimated the egos of our elected officials, and have not been active participants in our own rescue. We democratically elect officials to help give us the best possible opportunity to afford a decent life. However, no one should ever be comfortable leaving their livelihood entirely in the hands of individuals who make a career out of promising a cake, and delivering the crumbs.
Powerful not Powerless
Now that I've scolded you, like a good parent disciplining a child, I will provide you with some encouragement. We absolutely have the power to improve our way of life. Jamaicans are known to the rest of the world to be small in stature, but large in heart. We are a traditionally noisy people, a people that demand to be heard, and a people that will never be kept silent. Our leaders must acknowledge our contribution, and they must listen to what we have to say, for their will should be the will of the people.
The election is not a stage for the egos of our elected officials to be put on display. The election is the stage where Jamaicans, in no uncertain terms, exercise our power to affect real change. Regardless of party, we should always put the people best fit to lead in positions of power, and we can only do that if we’re informed. Knowledge is power and power is only useful in the hands of the responsible. We should all take the initiative, and try to learn just who we will be entrusting with our livelihood for the next four years. Different though we may be, we are united in wanting better for our country.
Out of Many One People
Humanity’s greatest bit of irony is that the differences we use as an excuse to start wars, discriminate, and marginalize, are the crowned jewels of human existence. Without differences humans do not evolve, change, grow, or learn, and it is unfortunate that today we live in a world where differences have been vilified, and people different from us have been characterized as enemies. The wise and virtuous person in today’s society seems to be the one that follows the herd, and rejects the differences of those around him. ‘Difference’ is an undeniable truth and if we are to thrive and create a better Jamaica , then we must find a way to appreciate differences instead of shaming them.
Note: Evan Dixon is a graduate of the Barry University in the USA. He has a MA of Arts in Communications. He was a recent guest on my radio programme 'At Your Service'. I was very impressed with his communications skills and I therefore invited him to submit an article for my blog.Please let me have your feedback on this article by emailing me at vderby@yahoo.com
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