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By Daraine Luton Special to The Miami Herald KINGSTON, Jamaica --
In late 2009, former Prime Minister Bruce Golding faced a critical decision in his 2-year old administration: Should he hand over reputed drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke to face narcotics and arms trafficking charges in the United States or stonewall.
Golding balked and admitted months later to misleading Jamaicans about his efforts to squash the extradition. His eventual decision in May 2011 to comply with the U.S. request set off days of rioting in Coke’s Kingston stronghold that left almost 80 people dead.
On Thursday, Golding’s Jamaica Labor Party paid dearly for his indecision. In one of the most stunning election outcomes in the country’s history, Jamaicans overwhelmingly booted the JLP from power in favor of the opposition People’s National Party or PNP.
Jamaicans were so angered by the Coke scandal that they refused — for the first time — to give a sitting government a second consecutive term. Not even a youthful Andrew Holness, who assumed control of the party from Golding two months ago, was able to sway voters.
“It is clear that we underestimated the devastating effect that the entire ... issue had on the image of the party,’’ said Karl Samuda, a leader of the JLP. “The PNP was successful in keeping it in the forefront. They were able to create the perception that the JLP was less than reliable and untrustworthy.
”Political analysts in Jamaica and abroad agree that the Coke scandal was the major factor behind the ruling party’s crushing defeat; it retained just 22 seats in the 63-seat parliament. The analysts, most of whom missed the electorate’s anger, also say the country’s stagnant economy contributed to the swing away from the JLP. Most said leading to the vote that the race was too close to call, and some even predicted that the JLP would retain power.
“The pollsters and pundits, myself included, miscalculated a few things,’’ said Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, a political science professor at York College of The City University of New York. “One is the extent of the residual displeasure at the JLP over the Dudus affair. A second is the extent to which pocket book issues, such as jobs and the price of electricity, gas, and other basic commodities, dwarfed the gains on the crime front
.”Jamaicans decided that they would no longer tolerate the ruling party, said Richard Crawford, a lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Kingston.
“The people found them arrogant and disrespectful and that combined with their social and economic reality influenced their decision,” Crawford said.
The result also reflected a strong anti-incumbency mood that has begun to show up in elections throughout the Caribbean. In the past two years, ruling parties were booted from office in Trinidad, St. Lucia and Haiti, and forced to share power in Guyana.
“The Jamaican and St. Lucian results suggest that electorates have very little tolerance for the status quo if there are no demonstrable gains in bread and butter issues, such as economics and crime,’’ said Griffith, an expert on Caribbean politics. “The ruling party in the Bahamas needs to take note.
”The return of PNP leader Portia Simpson Miller, 66, as prime minister gives Jamaica a fresh opportunity to jumpstart the economy and improve relations with the country’s growing diaspora. The PNP helped form one of the largest diaspora movements in 2004 but the effort stalled in recent years under JLP leadership. In Miami, many Jamaican Americans said they were optimistic about helping to contribute to the country’s future.
“I feel very good because the new prime minister mentioned us in her (victory) speech,” said Susan Davis, Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board member for the Southern United States.
Davis said she plans to request at a diaspora meeting in Jamaica next month that the government be more engaged in helping to strengthen alliances among the various Jamaican diaspora groups.
“In the past couple of years, there hasn’t been been as much support from the government,’’ Davis said. “I would like to think that having started it (the diaspora movement), the PNP would want to move it forward.
”Simpson Miller faces a huge challenge at home. The country’s economy has struggled under the JLP, highlighted by an unemployment rate that has climbed from 9.9 percent in 2007 to 12.9 percent last year. It has also been forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund, which now oversees Jamaica’s finances. “The PNP’s message of hope clearly resonated with them but whether they can live up to the expectation is another matter,’’ Samuda said. “I doubt they will be able to do so but the foundation has been laid by the JLP for economic growth.
”Delano Franklyn, the campaign spokesman for the PNP, said the PNP presented itself as a better team with better politics. He said the promise of economic growth and job creation won the hearts of many voters.Simpson Miller, who lost power in 2007 after 18 months, must now deliver.“The country is in a real economic and social crisis and therefore the party has to hit the ground running,” Franklyn said.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/3...#storylink=cpy
In late 2009, former Prime Minister Bruce Golding faced a critical decision in his 2-year old administration: Should he hand over reputed drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke to face narcotics and arms trafficking charges in the United States or stonewall.
Golding balked and admitted months later to misleading Jamaicans about his efforts to squash the extradition. His eventual decision in May 2011 to comply with the U.S. request set off days of rioting in Coke’s Kingston stronghold that left almost 80 people dead.
On Thursday, Golding’s Jamaica Labor Party paid dearly for his indecision. In one of the most stunning election outcomes in the country’s history, Jamaicans overwhelmingly booted the JLP from power in favor of the opposition People’s National Party or PNP.
Jamaicans were so angered by the Coke scandal that they refused — for the first time — to give a sitting government a second consecutive term. Not even a youthful Andrew Holness, who assumed control of the party from Golding two months ago, was able to sway voters.
“It is clear that we underestimated the devastating effect that the entire ... issue had on the image of the party,’’ said Karl Samuda, a leader of the JLP. “The PNP was successful in keeping it in the forefront. They were able to create the perception that the JLP was less than reliable and untrustworthy.
”Political analysts in Jamaica and abroad agree that the Coke scandal was the major factor behind the ruling party’s crushing defeat; it retained just 22 seats in the 63-seat parliament. The analysts, most of whom missed the electorate’s anger, also say the country’s stagnant economy contributed to the swing away from the JLP. Most said leading to the vote that the race was too close to call, and some even predicted that the JLP would retain power.
“The pollsters and pundits, myself included, miscalculated a few things,’’ said Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, a political science professor at York College of The City University of New York. “One is the extent of the residual displeasure at the JLP over the Dudus affair. A second is the extent to which pocket book issues, such as jobs and the price of electricity, gas, and other basic commodities, dwarfed the gains on the crime front
.”Jamaicans decided that they would no longer tolerate the ruling party, said Richard Crawford, a lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Kingston.
“The people found them arrogant and disrespectful and that combined with their social and economic reality influenced their decision,” Crawford said.
The result also reflected a strong anti-incumbency mood that has begun to show up in elections throughout the Caribbean. In the past two years, ruling parties were booted from office in Trinidad, St. Lucia and Haiti, and forced to share power in Guyana.
“The Jamaican and St. Lucian results suggest that electorates have very little tolerance for the status quo if there are no demonstrable gains in bread and butter issues, such as economics and crime,’’ said Griffith, an expert on Caribbean politics. “The ruling party in the Bahamas needs to take note.
”The return of PNP leader Portia Simpson Miller, 66, as prime minister gives Jamaica a fresh opportunity to jumpstart the economy and improve relations with the country’s growing diaspora. The PNP helped form one of the largest diaspora movements in 2004 but the effort stalled in recent years under JLP leadership. In Miami, many Jamaican Americans said they were optimistic about helping to contribute to the country’s future.
“I feel very good because the new prime minister mentioned us in her (victory) speech,” said Susan Davis, Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board member for the Southern United States.
Davis said she plans to request at a diaspora meeting in Jamaica next month that the government be more engaged in helping to strengthen alliances among the various Jamaican diaspora groups.
“In the past couple of years, there hasn’t been been as much support from the government,’’ Davis said. “I would like to think that having started it (the diaspora movement), the PNP would want to move it forward.
”Simpson Miller faces a huge challenge at home. The country’s economy has struggled under the JLP, highlighted by an unemployment rate that has climbed from 9.9 percent in 2007 to 12.9 percent last year. It has also been forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund, which now oversees Jamaica’s finances. “The PNP’s message of hope clearly resonated with them but whether they can live up to the expectation is another matter,’’ Samuda said. “I doubt they will be able to do so but the foundation has been laid by the JLP for economic growth.
”Delano Franklyn, the campaign spokesman for the PNP, said the PNP presented itself as a better team with better politics. He said the promise of economic growth and job creation won the hearts of many voters.Simpson Miller, who lost power in 2007 after 18 months, must now deliver.“The country is in a real economic and social crisis and therefore the party has to hit the ground running,” Franklyn said.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/3...#storylink=cpy