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The changing political outlook
published: Monday | November 20, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
Beverley Anderson-Manley</DIV>
The 2007 General Election in Jamaica will take place against a background of ongoing fundamental changes in our political landscape. It just makes sense, therefore, for Jamaican voters to so paint a picture of the Jamaican landscape that we begin to heighten our awareness around these changes. In doing so, we become more informed about the choices we make at election time. What are some of these changes that exist as we await the 2007 General Election?
The Freedom of Information Act now gives us access to information hitherto denied us as citizens of Jamaica. The Electoral Advisory Commission is ensuring that our elections are more free and fair than ever before. There is ongoing registration which makes it difficult if not impossible for anyone to be left off the voters' list unless by their own choice. There is a Political Ombudsman. There is a Contractor General. There is at least one critical committee of Parliament - the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by an Opposition spokesperson, the Shadow Minister of Finance - which is now open to the public, through the media, all within the last decade.
MORE CHANGES NEEDED
The more we get a glimpse of what a more democratic system looks like, the more emphasis we need to put on further opening up that system. The move by both Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and People's National Party (PNP) councillors to recommend a fixed election date for parish council elections could pave the way for a fixed election date for general elections. This is to be commended. In keeping with this, civil society and Jamaica generally could benefit from acknowledging those individuals within the political parties who understand the importance of fundamental constitutional change. Unity between these individuals and civil society groups could act as a major lobby group for constitutional change. These changes are so far-reaching that it is important to have a lobby group inside and outside the state apparatus working separately and together.
FIRST TERMS
In continuing to paint this picture of our current political landscape on the eve of our next general election, it is useful to recognise that both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are facing their first general election as party leaders.
Another interesting part of the landscape is that we now have two sets of newspaper-commissioned polls that are giving us results simultaneously. There is fairly widespread consensus of both the Bill Johnson polls and the Stone polls on the major issues. To put it simply, the PNP leader's popularity is waning while the JLP leader's is on the increase. So, too, the two major political parties. The JLP has settled its list of candidates. The PNP has promised to announce its full candidate list by November 26.
Given a political system that is not conducive to high levels of representation, it is not surprising that people are fed up with some of their representatives. Carl Stone inf