Collision-course campaign

Lloyd Williams

ON MAY 1 the ruling People's National Party announced at a news briefing that it was "embarking on a programme of outreach and of repositioning the party" - renewal and re-connection if you may - but really, its re-election campaign.

This signalled the start of what shows all signs of being one of the longest election campaigns in this country in years; maybe even longer than the nine-month campaign of 1980.

In a nationwide broadcast on the night of February 3, 1980, Prime Minister Michael Manley took to the public in his row with the IMF over its insistence that the 1980-81 Budget be cut by US$150 million rather than the US$100 million the government had proposed. He announced in a nationwide broadcast that because of the need to "settle a clear line of unified national action for the future" he would call a general election by October. The elections were actually held on October 30 that year.

Those nine months saw the bloodiest election campaign in Jamaica's history with 889 murders (643 by the gun) being reported to the police during 1980, a 153 per cent increase over the 351 murders in 1979. In 1981 the figure was 490. In addition, the gun was used in 2,458 cases of felonious wounding, 166 cases of rape, and there were 2,283 cases of shooting with intent. Most of the murders, gun-woundings and other shootings were committed in the name of PNP, JLP and Workers Party of Jamaica politics.

Now the ruling PNP, jolted by the rejection of the government in the March 8, 2001 by-election in St. Ann North East is using that wake-up call to sound the trumpet to energise its supporters and undecided voters to give it an unprecedented fourth consecutive term in office in the next general election.

It formally announced this decision on May 6 with the launching at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, New Kingston, of its 'Solid Achievements' awareness fourth term election campaign.

Sunday night, June 10, JLP leader Edward Seaga formally launched his election campaign in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, with the presentation of the party's three candidates for the Westmoreland constituencies. Mr. Patterson represents Westmoreland East.

Both parties are firmly in the election mode barrelling down the collision-course campaign track.

And what a shameful start to election campaign 2001-2002!

Already, innocent apolitical poor people have been shot dead by criminal community gunmen hiding behind the all-protective banners of their political parties - PNP and JLP. Others have been driven out by fear or fire.

Just like that!

And with impunity in May 2001!

Little old women hobble out of their humble homes at gunpoint, minutes before terrorists carry out their threats to torch their houses with Molotov cocktails. Members of the Jamaica Constabulary and Jamaica Defence Force soldiers, conceding that they are unable to defend these victims of criminal violence, assist them to leave the area!

At the heart of these criminal actions by the henchmen of the political parties is the determination of the PNP and the JLP to be the dominant force in Gordon House and the perpetual occupant of Jamaica House.

Under the Constitution, the Government has until March 2003 to call the next General Election.

The conventional wisdom though is that Election Day could come as early - or as late - as nine months from now.

The real fear however is that if the trend of criminal violence continues, far worse violence is likely to be waged in some inner-city communities during this extended election campaign.

Already, the police are stretched thin, just trying to keep the combatants apart in the Hannah Town-Denham Town arena.

In the meanwhile, the Jamaican public is being subjected in true pipe-side tenement yard fashion, to a veritable 'tracing (cussing) match' between parents and children - the JLP and the PNP and the PNP Youth Organisation and Young Jamaica. Accusations and counter-accusations fly like robot taxis. Cusswords like 'political campaign of terror'; 'partisan thugs'; 'paid political connection'; 'scorched-earth policy'; 'political atrocities', 'state terrorism'; 'party of terror' fly between them.

The history of political violence in the Corporate Area of Kingston and St. Andrew is being exhumed by political undertakers and triggermen-once-removed, now wearing halos and lily-white gloves as they claim the bones of victims long gone and wait like vultures to put party label on the expendable fodder they seem to regard their constituents as.

Meanwhile the criminal community gunmen, drug dealers and extortioners are observing a ceasefire of sorts as they clean and oil their lethal assault rifles and deadly automatic handguns.

"We will kill for you", is all it seems that the politicians are telling poor, deprived inner-city people.

There seems to be no effort, even during this long lead time to the general election, to engage them in discussion of how their lot could be improved. How to get rid of the squalor in which they live. How to provide them with flush toilets and running water in their houses and electricity they can afford. And jobs to enable them to send their many children to school with full bellies.

To the condescending politicians, words like 'policies' and 'programmes' wouldn't mean anything to the inner-city residents. Neither would 'job-creation' and 'opportunities', and 'hard work', and 'education' and 'training'.

Nor, most importantly, how they can get the forces of State - police and soldiers - to protect them from gunmen and arsonists.

Instead, the politicians' focus seems to be to ratchet up their 'soldiers' in the inner cities, and 'psyche them up' and put them in a fighting frame of mind to defend the political spoils and scarce benefits they always so lavishly promise.

If ever there was time for a change of how the inner-city communities and garrisons are treated in this country, it is now.

Lloyd Williams is Senior Associate Editor at The Gleaner.

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