Dear Editor,
Danville Walker's letter in the Jamaica Observer on Monday, October 5, 2015 should be seen as a serious warning to concerned Jamaicans that there are clear and present dangers ahead for our entire electoral process. For the uninitiated, let me remind you that Walker served as director of elections from 1996 and was later a candidate for the JLP in the 2011 election. To say that he has more than working knowledge of our electoral process is putting it mildly. Not only does he understand the process, he is fully conversant with the electoral behaviours of both parties.
My mother always said that, "If fish go a river bottom an' tell yuh that shark dung deh, tek dem advice!" The numerous complaints from defeated candidates at selection 'elections' that have been held to determine who should represent some constituencies should be treated with greater concern. Only the blind political diehard or the seriously uninitiated would argue that all is well with this process, and I must agree with Walker that, for Jamaica's sake, we must return to that position where the EOJ supervises these candidate selections. The value of our democracy is worth far more than any costs that the country would have saved by going this redundant route. Walker is absolutely correct in his analysis that "election corruption robs not just today's candidate, but also the country of future candidates. If the deck is stacked and the process deemed unfair, then good people will not enter the political fray, and the result is garrisons. We are where we are because of the leaders we have elected, and also those who choose not to run. Electoral corruption within the political parties ultimately leads to corrupt practices that will eventually undermine the national polls".
Many on the verandah circuit will want to dismiss these arguments as rubbish, some even purporting that the issues are for the political parties to sort out at their own internal levels. That would be a grave error, one equivalent to walking us not just back to the volatile days, or worse. We are toying with a set of circumstances that are clearly designed to provide a welcome mat for institutionalised corruption. It is indeed disconcerting that the leadership of both political parties have sat back and allowed this situation to have mushroomed to the current levels. It leaves one to assume that by their non-response they are comfortable with the state of affairs, even perhaps realising some type of benefit. Unfortunately, any such benefit is short-term and runs contrary to what is in the best interest of Jamaica.
Richard Hugh Blackford
Coral Springs,Florida
richardhblackford@gmail.com
Dangers lurking in our delegates-controlled politics
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Danville Walker's letter in the Jamaica Observer on Monday, October 5, 2015 should be seen as a serious warning to concerned Jamaicans that there are clear and present dangers ahead for our entire electoral process. For the uninitiated, let me remind you that Walker served as director of elections from 1996 and was later a candidate for the JLP in the 2011 election. To say that he has more than working knowledge of our electoral process is putting it mildly. Not only does he understand the process, he is fully conversant with the electoral behaviours of both parties.
My mother always said that, "If fish go a river bottom an' tell yuh that shark dung deh, tek dem advice!" The numerous complaints from defeated candidates at selection 'elections' that have been held to determine who should represent some constituencies should be treated with greater concern. Only the blind political diehard or the seriously uninitiated would argue that all is well with this process, and I must agree with Walker that, for Jamaica's sake, we must return to that position where the EOJ supervises these candidate selections. The value of our democracy is worth far more than any costs that the country would have saved by going this redundant route. Walker is absolutely correct in his analysis that "election corruption robs not just today's candidate, but also the country of future candidates. If the deck is stacked and the process deemed unfair, then good people will not enter the political fray, and the result is garrisons. We are where we are because of the leaders we have elected, and also those who choose not to run. Electoral corruption within the political parties ultimately leads to corrupt practices that will eventually undermine the national polls".
Many on the verandah circuit will want to dismiss these arguments as rubbish, some even purporting that the issues are for the political parties to sort out at their own internal levels. That would be a grave error, one equivalent to walking us not just back to the volatile days, or worse. We are toying with a set of circumstances that are clearly designed to provide a welcome mat for institutionalised corruption. It is indeed disconcerting that the leadership of both political parties have sat back and allowed this situation to have mushroomed to the current levels. It leaves one to assume that by their non-response they are comfortable with the state of affairs, even perhaps realising some type of benefit. Unfortunately, any such benefit is short-term and runs contrary to what is in the best interest of Jamaica.
Richard Hugh Blackford
Coral Springs,Florida
richardhblackford@gmail.com
Dangers lurking in our delegates-controlled politics
-->