Careless utterances will put Jamaica’s democratic process at risk
Dear Editor,
I am concerned by the posture of senior members of the People’s National Party (PNP) subsequent to the local government elections held on February 26.
Senior operatives of the PNP have said that the PNP has won the elections despite the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) declaring the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) winners of the majority of the local authorities. This contradiction of the ECJ has the potential to undermine the credibility of Jamaica’s electoral process in spite of Jamaica’s rich history of having free and fair elections.
The PNP should tell the country whether the ECJ, which is the principal oversight body for elections in Jamaica, retains its support. If the PNP no longer reposes confidence in the ECJ, it is reasonable to expect the party’s representatives on the commission, Wentworth Skeffery and Dayton Campbell, to recuse themselves from the ECJ.
The PNP should also propose an alternative to the ECJ if the Opposition has lost faith in the commission. It has been almost two full weeks since the local government elections were he and the PNP has not conceded victory to the JLP.
I recall the days when political violence was prevalent in Jamaica; thankfully, the political climate in Jamaica has changed for the better. I am concerned that the rhetoric of senior members of the PNP could result in our democratic process deteriorating to the point at which there is civil unrest because of misinformation.
Give us vision lest we perish.
Alex Thompson
Kingston 20
alistermclean92@gmail.com