Congratulations, JA, on a nicely done Nomination Day!
“Believe it or not, I didn’t read the article. The moment I saw the photos I started to write. I have no idea what are the contents in the article. The photos were so touching that I jumped straight into commenting. I love what I saw and just had (to) comment before I walked away from the laptop. I saw good, loving people congregating and having a whale of a time. Mi love that, Rasta. As God is my witness, I cherish this moment and hope it continues.” —Pieter Crush, Jamaica Observer online reader
Mr Crush’s comment on the lead story ‘One big party’ in yesterday’s edition of the Jamaica Observer encapsulates the joyful feeling of all Jamaicans who yearn for peaceful and violence-free elections.
Mr Crush’s comment on the lead story ‘One big party’ in yesterday’s edition of the Jamaica Observer encapsulates the joyful feeling of all Jamaicans who yearn for peaceful and violence-free elections.
We are usually cautious in our use of superlatives, but Tuesday could well go down as one of, if not the most peaceful nomination days in recent history.
In a population benumbed by the incessantly mounting murder toll, the unfortunate shooting at Flanker, St James, while a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) motorcade was underway, passed as a mere blip on the Nomination Day radar.
Still, one death is one too many, and until we can stage these important events without any loss of life or injury to anyone, we have to continue to strive to achieve that perfect union of JLP and People’s National Party (PNP) supporters that Mr P J Patterson envisaged when he vowed to fight for elections which were free, fair and free of fear in 2002.
By way of clarification, police did not link the Flanker shooting to any ‘warfare’ between the two parties, and we make no such association.
We rejoice with Director of Elections Mr Orrette Fisher who reported that Tuesday’s proceedings, which saw 152 candidates nominated across the island’s 63 constituencies for the February 25, 2016 General Election, were conducted without any problems.
“Everything went quite smooth. We are on target for the election,” Mr Fisher emphatically told the Jamaica Observer.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Clifford Blake who has responsibility for operations said the men and women under his command had executed their duties well in managing the day’s proceedings and that there were no major incidents.
“…There were no unusual incidents or disruption. If there were any, they were minor incidents,” he said, noting that these had not required any use of excessive force.
Observer reporters filed similar stories of the carnival-like atmosphere that marked the day, with supporters of both major political parties engaging in friendly banter from one end of the island to the next.
By any stretch of the imagination, nomination day is a mammoth exercise for Jamaica, and is often a forerunner for things to come on election day.
On Tuesday, both the JLP and the PNP nominated 63 candidates each; seven were nominated for the National Democratic Movement (NDM); six for the Marcus Garvey People’s Political Party (MGPPP), 10 independents, and two for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). Another party, called HOPE (Hope For Portland East), which was formed Tuesday, nominated the lone Dr Dennis Minott who ran unsuccessfully on a PNP ticket in the past.
If Tuesday, February 9 can become the norm for tomorrow, the day after and henceforth, Jamaican democracy would be safe for all times.
