Dear Editor,
I see the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Andrew Holness lamenting why those of us who don’t plan to vote should stop being so indifferent to the pending election. Holness doesn’t seem to understand that if he wants the uncommitted, like me, to vote, he and his party should give us a reason to.
Let’s not fool ourselves. Things are very bad in this country right now. Even the leader of the People’s National Party Portia Simpson Miller constantly reminds us that Jamaica isn’t where she would want it to be. We still have one of the world’s highest homicide rates. At over 13 per cent, unemployment is just too high, especially among the young people. Plus, all of these promises of tens of thousands of new jobs to come are just that — promises. We have heard them before.
Of course, there have been some positives. Growth has returned to the economy — albeit very little — and our debt stock is falling; not by much, mind you. At the very best, our performance over the past few years has been mediocre.
Now, why should people like me, who have no intention to vote for mediocrity, vote for the JLP when, at best, it is offering the same thing, or even less, if we are to believe some of the things coming out of the JLP in recent times?
The JLP has been promising us that it will take us from “poverty to prosperity”. What does that mean? How many times have we heard promises like that before? Far too many!
The JLP’s plan to cut funding to the education system by eliminating school fees, without providing a credible replacement, cannot convince the uncommitted like me to vote green. Also, the JLP’s plans to consider increasing the minimum wage to $50,000 a month and removing income tax sounds scary. Why should the uncommitted like me vote for more problems?
Indeed, I haven’t heard anything out of the JLP that is telling people like me that the JLP is the reason to end my indifference to the electoral process.
Holness must realise by now that exchanging a black dog for a monkey isn’t going to change the minds of the uncommitted.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
I see the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Andrew Holness lamenting why those of us who don’t plan to vote should stop being so indifferent to the pending election. Holness doesn’t seem to understand that if he wants the uncommitted, like me, to vote, he and his party should give us a reason to.
Let’s not fool ourselves. Things are very bad in this country right now. Even the leader of the People’s National Party Portia Simpson Miller constantly reminds us that Jamaica isn’t where she would want it to be. We still have one of the world’s highest homicide rates. At over 13 per cent, unemployment is just too high, especially among the young people. Plus, all of these promises of tens of thousands of new jobs to come are just that — promises. We have heard them before.
Of course, there have been some positives. Growth has returned to the economy — albeit very little — and our debt stock is falling; not by much, mind you. At the very best, our performance over the past few years has been mediocre.
Now, why should people like me, who have no intention to vote for mediocrity, vote for the JLP when, at best, it is offering the same thing, or even less, if we are to believe some of the things coming out of the JLP in recent times?
The JLP has been promising us that it will take us from “poverty to prosperity”. What does that mean? How many times have we heard promises like that before? Far too many!
The JLP’s plan to cut funding to the education system by eliminating school fees, without providing a credible replacement, cannot convince the uncommitted like me to vote green. Also, the JLP’s plans to consider increasing the minimum wage to $50,000 a month and removing income tax sounds scary. Why should the uncommitted like me vote for more problems?
Indeed, I haven’t heard anything out of the JLP that is telling people like me that the JLP is the reason to end my indifference to the electoral process.
Holness must realise by now that exchanging a black dog for a monkey isn’t going to change the minds of the uncommitted.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com