It is a good thing when you are not a diehard member of the JLP, PNP, NDM, JAM, NNC, MGPPP, or any Ps. That means, when you see wrongdoing, you can speak your mind freely.
That said, the pronouncements this week by two official members of the People's National Party (PNP) were remarkable, in that they could have been perceived to be utterances by non-aligned or Opposition members.
I commend the three ladies and the other members of the PNP who came out against the Outameni debacle. Respect is due to them because they would otherwise have to live a lie with their consciences tooting every night. It must be a strain to be a member of a group and be so entrenched that you become a diehard apologist and say just about anything to justify bad behaviour.
I'm sure I'm not alone in my thinking that the excuses given by highly respected and intelligent people for bad behaviour on both sides of the political divide are stark in their absurdity and inanity. It's a crying shame if you ask me. Silence is not always golden, either. When you miss an opportunity to support right over wrong, justice over injustice, honesty over thievery, you often speak volumes in your reticence.
The past two weeks have served to highlight the main problem with our party politics; we have a surplus of apologists and a dearth of long-term thinking nationalists. But I am hopeful that this is changing.
Folks like me, called floaters by the British and swing voters by the Americans, are accused of being for the Opposition when we chide bad behaviour by the Government. We are accused of being PNP when we chide the bad behaviour of the JLP. We can't win, and that's OK; it's par for the independent-minded course. Floaters can play a critical role in electoral contests. Jamaica needs more floaters now more than ever, so I'm glad that our numbers are growing. We need people to vote the issues, make selections based on character and not vote blind party allegiance. We also need fresh, honest, intelligent blood in politics. We need people with integrity and leadership qualities. We also need leaders who are hands-on and in the know, who can speak without taking time to go 'look it up', study and massage the facts.
I encourage all readers to give serious consideration to becoming a floater. Remember the struggle to make it possible for us to vote, so let's not squander it. We have an excellent process, too, so be enumerated and get on the voters' list. Vote the issues, make selections based on character and use community pressure to meet with MPs and councillors to remind them who put them in office. There is overwhelming evidence that they all too often forget.
Sandra M. Taylor Wiggan
sandra_wiggan@yahoo.co.uk
No more diehards, vote the issues!
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That said, the pronouncements this week by two official members of the People's National Party (PNP) were remarkable, in that they could have been perceived to be utterances by non-aligned or Opposition members.
I commend the three ladies and the other members of the PNP who came out against the Outameni debacle. Respect is due to them because they would otherwise have to live a lie with their consciences tooting every night. It must be a strain to be a member of a group and be so entrenched that you become a diehard apologist and say just about anything to justify bad behaviour.
I'm sure I'm not alone in my thinking that the excuses given by highly respected and intelligent people for bad behaviour on both sides of the political divide are stark in their absurdity and inanity. It's a crying shame if you ask me. Silence is not always golden, either. When you miss an opportunity to support right over wrong, justice over injustice, honesty over thievery, you often speak volumes in your reticence.
The past two weeks have served to highlight the main problem with our party politics; we have a surplus of apologists and a dearth of long-term thinking nationalists. But I am hopeful that this is changing.
Folks like me, called floaters by the British and swing voters by the Americans, are accused of being for the Opposition when we chide bad behaviour by the Government. We are accused of being PNP when we chide the bad behaviour of the JLP. We can't win, and that's OK; it's par for the independent-minded course. Floaters can play a critical role in electoral contests. Jamaica needs more floaters now more than ever, so I'm glad that our numbers are growing. We need people to vote the issues, make selections based on character and not vote blind party allegiance. We also need fresh, honest, intelligent blood in politics. We need people with integrity and leadership qualities. We also need leaders who are hands-on and in the know, who can speak without taking time to go 'look it up', study and massage the facts.
I encourage all readers to give serious consideration to becoming a floater. Remember the struggle to make it possible for us to vote, so let's not squander it. We have an excellent process, too, so be enumerated and get on the voters' list. Vote the issues, make selections based on character and use community pressure to meet with MPs and councillors to remind them who put them in office. There is overwhelming evidence that they all too often forget.
Sandra M. Taylor Wiggan
sandra_wiggan@yahoo.co.uk
No more diehards, vote the issues!
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