Jamaica’s political culture has always been plagued by thuggery, usually carried out by partisan hacks attached to both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP). These thugs traditionally emerge from impoverished inner-city or depressed rural communities where the politics of scarce benefits and spoils reigns supreme.

These miscreants, some of them habitual criminals, attach themselves to Members of Parliament, councillors, or aspirants to such posts in order to ensure that they are first in line at the trough. It is no secret that just about every politician in this country has a “bad man” or two in his or her entourage as well as “tetes” (women who behave rough and tough for their party).

These people who act as enforcers, protectors, and influencers in a constituency pursue this line of business because it is their bread and butter. They will, therefore, abuse anyone, verbally or otherwise, and, in extreme cases, kill anyone who is deemed to be fighting against their leader. Hence, they oftentimes adopt a scorch the earth policy which may include even burning a constituency office or party shirts in defiance of the status quo.

The harsh truth is that politics in Jamaica is big business, and, in some instances, may even be likened to organised crime. In such a scenario the politician behaves like or is perceived to be a don, while in other cases he or she may have in his or her employ a don or two who carries out nefarious activities. These people, who are close to the politician, must be handsomely rewarded by way of contracts, jobs, or straight monetary contributions. And it is no secret that some who enter the political arena do so not so much to be a true representative of the people but are there to feather their own nests.

Of course, this may well explain why many decent, law-abiding, well-meaning citizens shy away from entering political representation and why many citizens see every politician as a crook whose main motive is to “raid the barn”. It, therefore, takes a lot of guts to decide to run for political office in this country.

In 1997, when I ran on a JLP ticket in St James Southern, I recall standing in a square, just two weeks before the general election, when a carload of men drove up. They alighted and approached me. Feeling somewhat intimidated, I insisted that I would only speak to one of them alone. The leader of the pack reluctantly took me aside and advised me that they were willing to join my campaign to ensure that I win, but I would have to provide them with a house, car, food, and pocket money. While he was talking to me I noticed a bulge in his waist, which suggested that he was armed. Without hesitation I told him that I was not into that type of politics so I would not be able to accommodate him and his cronies. He hissed his teeth and walked away as another member of his motley group asked loudly, “Wha him a say?” The reply accompanied by the hissing of his teeth was, “Him nah say nutten!”

Years later, when I again ventured into politics, this time on a PNP ticket in the newly created constituency of St James Central, I was chastised and ridiculed by some of my party supporters when I declared publicly that I was not into the “licky-licky, nyammie-nyammie politics”.

It was predicted that because of that statement I would not be able to win the seat, which was written off even more so because it was cut in favour of the JLP. Well, I won, but it remained an uphill battle as my many attempts to move away from the politics of scarce benefits and spoils got me into all kinds of trouble, which eventually led to my throwing in the towel, although a so-called poll involving some thugs and “tetes” was skilfully engineered to get me out at the same time.

In all of this, I wish Dr Alfred Dawes well in his bid to represent the PNP in St Catherine South Eastern. Jamaican politics needs men and women with testicular fortitude, integrity, and a sense of patriotic duty. No doubt, there are such individuals to be found in the current crop of JLP and PNP aspirants and incumbents, but they may well become an endangered species if the leadership of both parties do not seek to raise the bar and not turn a blind eye to thuggery.

The recent incident at the PNP’s Old Hope Road headquarters in which it was alleged that some “thugs” or irate party supporters threatened and abused members of the media has once again pointed to the need for established rules of engagement with respect to journalists carrying out their function in the people’s interest.

It is not sufficient just to condemn this latest incident, and I note the somewhat sanctimonious approach taken by Minister of Information Robert Nesta Morgan, as if to suggest that his party can be deemed unblemished. As the saying goes, “We all have sinned and fallen short,” so let it not be a case of the pot calling the kettle black as is customary in our double-standard approach to such political issues. Both the JLP and PNP must find some common ground with regard to the rules of engagement involving media personnel, whether it be at Belmont Road or Old Hope Road.

In the same breath, media practitioners must be careful not to overreact or behave like holy cows in the pursuit of truth. It cannot be, in the final analysis, a case of being merely objective either, because, let us not fool ourselves, there are some journalists who are pro-PNP or pro-JLP, but this should not prevent them from being fair, lest their credibility cannot stand up to public scrutiny.

Alas, we are about to enter the “silly season”, what with both local government and general elections looming on the horizon. With no Office of the Political Ombudsman with teeth in sight, God help us! That is why the buck must now stop at the feet of Andrew Holness and Mark Golding and the media must keep the fire on their toes!

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 48 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.