A rush of events has swung the national mood to and fro through the first quarter of this new year.
The political tone was set by the North East St. Ann by-election. Victory for the Opposition JLP reset the traditional two-party format and dimmed the third-party prospects of the NDM. The win revived JLP vigour and aroused PNP complacency.
Government business was redefined with the start of the Budget season and a new fiscal and Parliamentary year. The big difference was an open Standing Finance Committee comprising all the Members of Parliament. For the first time media and populace could see and hear the intricacies of how public revenue is allocated among Ministries and Government departments.
In a nation grown accustomed to crisis, the most momentous so far this year is the Braeton killings. The police say they killed seven young men in a shoot-out. Residents of the St. Catherine community dispute this version, calling the deadly March 14 event summary executions.
Public opinion is sharply divided between supporters of the police action and those who condemn it, demanding an official enquiry.
In a belated show of national leadership the Prime Minister has echoed the earlier stance of his National Security Minister to the effect that the initial route to take is that of a Coroner's inquest.
The most troubling aftermath of Braeton, however, is the extent to which the public sense of automatic support for the police and the justice system seems to have been eroded. Support for vigilante justice may well be a symptom of the trauma triggered by rampant criminality.
More radical changes lie ahead however. Voting machines could change the conduct of elections. But if this is to happen the expectation flowing from St. Ann of an early general election may be put on hold. Electoral reform may yet shift gears and mood to the tune of high technology.
