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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>Young adults know only PNP rule</SPAN>
<SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>Michael Burke
Thursday, February 15, 2007
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Michael Burke</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Last Friday, February 9, marked 18 years since the elections of that year when the People's National Party won the first of four consecutive elections. This past Tuesday, February 13, marked 18 years since Michael Manley was sworn in at the start of the PNP's 18-year rule of Jamaica. This means that young Jamaican adults born exactly 18 years ago have reached voting age and know of no other government.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Between 1990 and 2005, the JLP was bitterly divided and it is next to impossible for a divided political party to beat one that is united. While some will argue that the JLP government, headed by Edward Seaga in the 1980s, had the economy of Jamaica under better control than today, but it is not fair to say that the economy of Jamaica has been wrecked by the present government.<P class=StoryText align=justify>If that were the case, the availability of cars, houses, roads, telephones and computers just could not take place. The fact that technology has advanced does not counter the argument. Availability cannot happen just because of technological advancement. One has to be able to buy such things, and that can only happen if something is right with the economy, even if such things were introduced to bamboozle the simple-minded voters.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Even with the availability of things, how much impact has it had on voters? In my opinion, the only political impact has been the availability of housing. As stated already, the real reason was that the Opposition JLP was disunited. The PNP won in 1989 and led in the opinion polls throughout 1990 when they won the local government elections for the second straight time, having won the local government elections in 1986.<P class=StoryText align=justify>But by 1991 the "crawling peg" devaluation had caused the PNP to be way behind in the polls despite the disunity in the JLP that started in 1990.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In any case, in 1991, Pearnel Charles "sang his Sankey" and so did Ed Bartlett. Because of ill health, Michael Manley stepped down in March 1992. The contest for the PNP presidency was between PJ Patterson and Portia Simpson (now Miller).<P class=StoryText align=justify>The opinion polls stated that the PNP delegates were in favour of Patterson, but the voters of Jamaica preferred Portia. At the end of 1991, there was the Shell waiver issue which resulted in the resignation of PJ Patterson from the Cabinet. Up to that time he had been deputy prime minister. Patterson said, "I shall return", and in March 1992 he won the presidency of the PNP and became prime minister.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The JLP continued to lead in the polls until Pearnel Charles decided to run for deputy leader in the JLP. Edward Seaga ( a "Jamaica-white man") was against his run, and at the conference Charles (a black man) was assaulted. Many members of the public saw it as racial prejudice, which turned the polls in the PNP's favour by December 1992.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Three months later, on March 30, 1993, PJ Patterson called the elections and won. His predecessor Portia Simpson Miller wisely chose not to call elections early when she became prime minister last year (2006), because the PNP did not have the money to match the JLP in a political campaign.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The PNP easily won the 1993 election. Karl Samuda, one of the so-called
<SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>Michael Burke
Thursday, February 15, 2007
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Michael Burke</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Last Friday, February 9, marked 18 years since the elections of that year when the People's National Party won the first of four consecutive elections. This past Tuesday, February 13, marked 18 years since Michael Manley was sworn in at the start of the PNP's 18-year rule of Jamaica. This means that young Jamaican adults born exactly 18 years ago have reached voting age and know of no other government.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Between 1990 and 2005, the JLP was bitterly divided and it is next to impossible for a divided political party to beat one that is united. While some will argue that the JLP government, headed by Edward Seaga in the 1980s, had the economy of Jamaica under better control than today, but it is not fair to say that the economy of Jamaica has been wrecked by the present government.<P class=StoryText align=justify>If that were the case, the availability of cars, houses, roads, telephones and computers just could not take place. The fact that technology has advanced does not counter the argument. Availability cannot happen just because of technological advancement. One has to be able to buy such things, and that can only happen if something is right with the economy, even if such things were introduced to bamboozle the simple-minded voters.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Even with the availability of things, how much impact has it had on voters? In my opinion, the only political impact has been the availability of housing. As stated already, the real reason was that the Opposition JLP was disunited. The PNP won in 1989 and led in the opinion polls throughout 1990 when they won the local government elections for the second straight time, having won the local government elections in 1986.<P class=StoryText align=justify>But by 1991 the "crawling peg" devaluation had caused the PNP to be way behind in the polls despite the disunity in the JLP that started in 1990.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In any case, in 1991, Pearnel Charles "sang his Sankey" and so did Ed Bartlett. Because of ill health, Michael Manley stepped down in March 1992. The contest for the PNP presidency was between PJ Patterson and Portia Simpson (now Miller).<P class=StoryText align=justify>The opinion polls stated that the PNP delegates were in favour of Patterson, but the voters of Jamaica preferred Portia. At the end of 1991, there was the Shell waiver issue which resulted in the resignation of PJ Patterson from the Cabinet. Up to that time he had been deputy prime minister. Patterson said, "I shall return", and in March 1992 he won the presidency of the PNP and became prime minister.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The JLP continued to lead in the polls until Pearnel Charles decided to run for deputy leader in the JLP. Edward Seaga ( a "Jamaica-white man") was against his run, and at the conference Charles (a black man) was assaulted. Many members of the public saw it as racial prejudice, which turned the polls in the PNP's favour by December 1992.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Three months later, on March 30, 1993, PJ Patterson called the elections and won. His predecessor Portia Simpson Miller wisely chose not to call elections early when she became prime minister last year (2006), because the PNP did not have the money to match the JLP in a political campaign.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The PNP easily won the 1993 election. Karl Samuda, one of the so-called
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