Dr. Christopher Tufton - File 'Announcing new growth figures means absolutely nothing to the people in the local communities' - Dr. Tufton
When Thomas 'Tip' O'Neill, a former Speaker of the House in the U.S. Congress, once declared, "All politics is local", he may well have been passing on a hint or two to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for St. Elizabeth South West, Dr. Christopher Tufton, who has made the phrase the cornerstone of his election campaign.
In what may soon become known as the Tufton model, the first-time JLP candidate has built a strategy on what he calls "community-based campaigning".
When he is not on the telephone, either introducing himself to voters or raising money to finance his multiple sports programmes in sections of the constituency, Dr. Tufton takes to the street, knocking on the doors of likely voters, from both the People's National Party (PNP) and JLP, and usually ends his day convinced that his message of community empowerment has hit home with those he is trying to convince to vote for him come election day.
Better way forward
"My goal is to get the voters to see that there is a better way forward ... to let them know I have a different vision from my opponent," Dr. Tufton explained. "And I am not just talking about known JLP supporters. I am not afraid of going to the homes of PNP supporters; you will also find me at the dead yards of known PNP activists.
"When I am not going one-on-one with the public, I am meeting with groups of voters: from teachers to farmers, with market vendors and with fishermen," he added.
His strategy appears to be bearing fruit as a Bill Johnson poll conducted on March 10, 2007, on behalf of The Gleaner, had 62 per cent of respondents saying they had a favourable opinion of Dr. Tufton as opposed to 20 per cent who said they did not. And in terms of visibility, 76 per cent admitted to have met or seen the JLP candidate in the constituency over the last six months, numbers Johnson described as "phenomenal".
And probably even more impressive are the 52 per cent of registered voters who say Dr. Tufton is the person they would most like to see as their next Member of Parliament, as opposed to the 25 per cent that would most like to see his PNP opponent, the Reverend Stanley Redwood.
Range of issues
The issues Dr. Tufton said he has had to address range from the rising level of unemployment, especially among young people, to the massive downturn in industries such as tourism, fishing and farming.
"Announcing new growth figures means absolutely nothing to the people in the local communities," Dr. Tufton said. "The only way to gain credibility is at the local level where locals feel they are part of the decision-making process. Granted, times are hard and resources are scarce, but when I look at a place like St. Elizabeth South West, nobody can convince me that Donald Buchanan - a four-term Member of Parliament and a senior government minister - couldn't have done more for the people of this constituency."
He continued: "I don't profess to have all the answers nor do I have all the solutions. What I do know is that community empowerment is fundamental. We cannot continue to ignore the people. It can't be we are there only at election time, and then for another five years you are nowhere to be seen ... That is something I want to break."
Everything begins locally
Pressed on whether he could fulfil all the promises he has made if or when he reaches Gordon House, Dr. Tufton said: "It is all about being true to yourself and the people you represent. Our party understands that everything begins at the local level. Sometimes you will find that all it takes is a little vision and the will to get things done."
Dr. Tufton is also an Opposition senator and a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus. He completed his doctorate in business administration at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, England, in 2002.
Most recently, in November 2006, Dr. Tufton completed a three-year stint as leader of Generation 2000 (G2K), a group of young professionals associated with the JLP. He demitted the post, he said, in order to allow for new leadership, and to make way for his campaign to become the Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth South West.
"My interest in politics and public policy is born out of a strong belief that we can transform society. As a country, we have not optimised our potential," says Tufton. His interest, he says, is in playing whatever role he can to transform communities into the kind of places worth living in.
