- File photos
PNP, left, and JLP youth arm members making their presence felt in the October 16 general election campaign.
Omar Anderson, Freelance Writer
THE CRITICAL to attract the youth vote in the recent general election flung the youth arms of the major political parties into the limelight, especially the recently-formed ones.
These groups had been playing a supporting role in the build-up to the election, but were pushed to the frontline as it was believed that young votes could swing victory either way.
But the fact that they got so much attention during the campaigning has positioned them to take the next step into mainstream politics, an idea which the hierarchy of both party has espoused.
The Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Generation 2000 (G2K) and the People's National Party (PNP) The Patriots, suddenly became more familiar names than their venerable cousin youth groups, Young Jamaica and the People's National Party Youth Organistion (PNPYO).
G2K stole more of the spotlight and assumed the in-your-face type prominence. This, some believe, was partly responsible for the push the party's machinery got when it appeared to have been sputtering.
The Patriots also had its place on the platform; however, its members were not as prominent on the airwaves as were G2K members, who were almost readily available to enunciate the party's policies and defend them against the harshest critics.
G2K, formed in 1999, was fashioned off the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) in the US which, according to G2K's chairman, Dr. David Panton, was the training ground for former US president Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore.
The aim of the JLP-affiliated group was to be a committed Jamaican organisation working towards building a better country through an effective JLP. The group's core focus involves working with the party to formulate and develop policies, strengthen the internal systems, improve membership, and also manage its public relations.
Since its formation, G2K, especially during the countdown to the election, held a number of fora and published policy documents enunciating the JLP's position. Such was the quality of its work that the group has been credited with luring Bruce Golding back to the fold of the JLP.
Young professionals
The Patriots, according to president Donovan Nelson, was formed in February 2001, apparently as a direct response to G2K. But Mr. Nelson said following the party's humiliating defeat in the North East St. Ann by-election, there was the need to organise a group of professional young persons to join and support the PNP.
Since its inception, The Patriots has computerised the party's database, designed an electronic system to map the party's strength/weakness in constituencies islandwide, and has effectively planned and manned the party's public relations efforts during the last election.
Both groups were also instrumental in cranking up their parties' political machinery, as regards canvassing for specific candidates. For example, Senator Kern Spencer a Patriot was campaign manager for Danny Buchanan in South West St. Elizabeth, while Christopher Brown, the organisation's secretary was in charge of Harry Douglas' campaign in South East St. Mary. Mr. Nelson, himself, helped to supervise operations at PNP headquarters on Old Hope Road.
For G2K chairman David Panton was in charge of the party's St. Elizabeth campaign, while other G2Kites such as Dr. Ronald Robinson, Ian Hayles, and Kandre Leveridge all had their work cut out in St. Ann, St. Mary, East Rural St. Andrew, and other parishes.
It would seem evident that these young professionals aligned to the major political parties contributed tangibly to their respective organisations, and Jamaica should benefit from the fresh ideas that they bring to the respective tables.
But the challenge of these young people is to keep tribal politics out of the system as we advance into the future. This is no easy task taking into consideration the tribalistic political system our progenitors have passed on to us.
About two Fridays ago, Young Jamaica's president, Andre Franklin, and The Patriots' Raymond Pryce, were invited on RJR's current affairs programme 'Beyond The Headlines', to discuss the way forward for both political youth arms.
The discussion started on a vitriolic tone, especially with Mr. Franklin, who, contrary to the spirit of the discussion, was stoutly advancing his party position, although the election had just ended. The moderators of the programme, seeing the trend the discussion was heading, intervened to keep it in line with the moot.
This kind of behaviour seems contrary to the need to focus on the real issues and the stay clear of tribal politicking.
Political culture
If this is the kind of behaviour our future politicians are displaying, we will not be making much headway into the future. We will be in deep trouble should we continue with this same political culture that has beset the political process during the post-Independence epoch.
Many candidates in the election lost their seats because the electors in these constituencies felt they never gave them the level of desired representation. Examples were Colin Campbell of St. Andrew Eastern; Oliver Clue, St. Andrew East Rural, and Arnold Bertram in North West St. Ann. This trend sets a new paradigm in Jamaican politics where the electorate is being influenced by the quality of candidates.
There is an inherent lesson in this to be learned by the two major youth groups of the prime political parties. That they are poised to further morph Jamaican politics and bequeath a healthy political system to future generations, is indeed a remarkable position in which to be placed.
Ideally, G2K and The Patriots should be regarded as the repository of young talents for both parties, and Mr. Panton and Mr. Nelson agree.
"The country has matured to a point where it's beginning to choose personalities over party," said Mr. Nelson. "And if this is where the country is going, it will force political parties to look at whom they choose to represent them."
Talented people
Said Mr. Panton: "We (G2K) are willing to identify talented people to assist the party." He added that part of its mandate is to assist the JLP with recruitment, although he admitted G2K has not been successful in this area as it had hoped.
"Part of this recruitment is to identify young people to play a role as Councillors, Members of Parliament, and potential officers of the party. And we hope in the medium-to short-term, G2K members will play these roles and the party will look to us to provide persons to serve in these capacities."
For his part, Mr. Nelson said persons within The Patriots have already expressed interest in entering representational politics, especially in the upcoming Local Government election.
"We believe as a group we can provide the party with a lot of young people who are potential candidates in future elections. We are prepared to be that repository of knowledge, research, and candidates for the party," he continued.
Meanwhile, the general secretaries of both parties said they have recognised the pivotal role their youth arms will play in shaping the quality leadership each party will be offering.
Said the JLP's Dr. Ken Baugh: "They (G2K, Young Jamaica) are resources from which we can get talented people to become representatives for local government and general elections. A lot of our present MPs and candidates were once active Young Jamaica members, and G2K is a newer organisation and has produced lots of youg professional businessmen like James Robertson, Andrew Gallimore, and Andrew Holness."
Describing the PNPYO and The Patriots as "transitional generations, the PNP's Maxine Henry-Wilson, said last week that the idea behind utilising many of the party's youth as campaign managers in the last election was to expose them to basics of rudiments of organisation.
"They are a source of renewal in the party and many of them will be contestants in the upcoming Local Government election," she said.
The fact that the hierarchy of both parties have recognised the roles of their respective youth arms, should send a clear signal to these groups that they should take their position seriously and continue making their impact felt in their parties. The talent and skills of young persons inside these groups should be honed, so that succession into the real political playground from these groups will soon be an understood phenomenon.
This scenario has already taken shape with Senator Spencer being appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of National Security in the last PNP administration. And there are calls for Basil Waite (president of the PNPYO) as well as Dr. Panton of G2K to be appointed senators. While we await the naming of persons to sit in the Senate, we could be in for more surprises if the leaders of both political parties are serious about invigorating their respective parties with new young blood.
There should be no doubt that having youths involved in the political process from early is the way forward, and local political parties had better take heed. On close examination of both parties, several of the candidates who won their seats in the last election, in five years' time, will either be nearing the end of their political life or will face a gargantuan task in retaining their seats based on the margins of victory on October 16. Among these persons are the PNP's Harry Douglas, K.D. Knight, Robert Pickersgill, Donald Buchanan, and the JLP's Edward Seaga (for age, not vote count).
It is therefore imperative that the major political parties begin earmarking understudies to fill the breach before the time is ripe. The new shift in Jamaican politics requires well-trained politicians who are willing to listen to the people they represent to effect good governance.
Quality candidates
The days of choosing just any person to sit inside the Senate or the House of Representatives should never be re-visited. Carefully selecting quality candidates to serve in the nation's Parliament will always be a winner, and the appointment of Douglas Orane and Professor Trevor Munroe as Independent Senators underscores my point.
Following his 1997 election victory, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson appointed these two men, and there is no doubt they have both contributed significantly to the quality of the debates and the overall work of the Senate.
They were good Senators and due to the sterling job they did, there has been much debate about identifying similar quality candidates from civil society who can make similar or better contributions to the Senate. Interest-ingly, there have also been calls to amend the Constitution so the current number of Senators can be increased to facilitate the appointment of additional Independent Senators.
There is much evidence to point to the new path Jamaican politics has been carving in recent times, and the arrival of G2K and The Patriots should prove to be a reservoir from which much-needed talent is drawn to provide effective and quality political leadership at the highest level.
