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Now that Mr Vaz has won
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Congratulations are in order for the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP's) Mr Daryl Vaz who yesterday won the by-election for the West Portland seat.
While the campaign leading up to yesterday's vote was not conducted in the most exemplary manner, it could, nonetheless, be described as fairly sedate, compared to the behaviour exhibited by the leaders and supporters of both the People's National Party (PNP) and the JLP in previous polls.
That gives us hope that public dissatisfaction with the tribalism that has for too long tainted our politics is growing, and that more Jamaicans now acknowledge that one of the crucial pillars of democracy is the right of individuals to hold and freely express their own views.
Mr Vaz, we submit, now needs to build on that awareness in his constituency in an effort to widen political maturity in the country. For it is only when we get to that point where every Jamaican respects opposing views from his/her neighbour that we will make a serious reduction in intolerance and the violence that it breeds.
Mr Vaz's victory, we gather, had its genesis not only in the efficiency of the JLP's political machinery, but in the way he went about serving his constituents since he won the seat in the September 2007 general elections.
Even some die-hard comrades have admitted to us that Mr Vaz's developmental efforts in the constituency were not blurred by partisan politics. If that is really true, we commend him, because too many of the men and women who sit in Gordon House are still steeped in the politics of tribalism that has served to divide rather than unite the country.
But even as we note Mr Vaz's accomplishments for his constituents, it is obvious from the flurry of activity leading up to yesterday's election that the constituency needs much more attention from its political representative.
It is not a compliment - for the JLP or the PNP for that matter - when people, obviously happy at the attention being shown to them and their community, express the wish for a by-election each week.
Neither party, and especially the ruling JLP, should feel comfortable after reading in this week's Sunday Observer, the comments of a returning resident about the roadwork in West Portland. "I don't care who is doing it," he said, "now I can drive my car that has been parked for years under the garage."
The sad reality is that West Portland is just one of many constituencies across the island experiencing similar problems.
Basic necessities such as water, roads and electricity are lacking in many communities, and given the effects that the global financial crisis is having on Jamaica, we don't foresee these communities being improved in the short term.
Mr Vaz's victory will no doubt give the Government a bit of breathing space to concentrate on managing the affairs of the country, even as the administration braces itself for the other dual citizen challenges now before the courts.
The Government would be wise to start giving greater focus to what it will do to ensure that Jamaica survives this economic storm with minimal damage. For in this climate, life rafts will be few, if any at all.
var addthis_pub="jamaicaobserver";
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Congratulations are in order for the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP's) Mr Daryl Vaz who yesterday won the by-election for the West Portland seat.
While the campaign leading up to yesterday's vote was not conducted in the most exemplary manner, it could, nonetheless, be described as fairly sedate, compared to the behaviour exhibited by the leaders and supporters of both the People's National Party (PNP) and the JLP in previous polls.
That gives us hope that public dissatisfaction with the tribalism that has for too long tainted our politics is growing, and that more Jamaicans now acknowledge that one of the crucial pillars of democracy is the right of individuals to hold and freely express their own views.
Mr Vaz, we submit, now needs to build on that awareness in his constituency in an effort to widen political maturity in the country. For it is only when we get to that point where every Jamaican respects opposing views from his/her neighbour that we will make a serious reduction in intolerance and the violence that it breeds.
Mr Vaz's victory, we gather, had its genesis not only in the efficiency of the JLP's political machinery, but in the way he went about serving his constituents since he won the seat in the September 2007 general elections.
Even some die-hard comrades have admitted to us that Mr Vaz's developmental efforts in the constituency were not blurred by partisan politics. If that is really true, we commend him, because too many of the men and women who sit in Gordon House are still steeped in the politics of tribalism that has served to divide rather than unite the country.
But even as we note Mr Vaz's accomplishments for his constituents, it is obvious from the flurry of activity leading up to yesterday's election that the constituency needs much more attention from its political representative.
It is not a compliment - for the JLP or the PNP for that matter - when people, obviously happy at the attention being shown to them and their community, express the wish for a by-election each week.
Neither party, and especially the ruling JLP, should feel comfortable after reading in this week's Sunday Observer, the comments of a returning resident about the roadwork in West Portland. "I don't care who is doing it," he said, "now I can drive my car that has been parked for years under the garage."
The sad reality is that West Portland is just one of many constituencies across the island experiencing similar problems.
Basic necessities such as water, roads and electricity are lacking in many communities, and given the effects that the global financial crisis is having on Jamaica, we don't foresee these communities being improved in the short term.
Mr Vaz's victory will no doubt give the Government a bit of breathing space to concentrate on managing the affairs of the country, even as the administration braces itself for the other dual citizen challenges now before the courts.
The Government would be wise to start giving greater focus to what it will do to ensure that Jamaica survives this economic storm with minimal damage. For in this climate, life rafts will be few, if any at all.
var addthis_pub="jamaicaobserver";
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