Editorial | Weeding out!

It has become a huge talking point in Jamaica that the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has found it necessary to drop potential candidates who had run afoul of the law.

In the recent case involving St Elizabeth teacher Oshane Gayle who is facing a charge of assault for allegedly hitting his pregnant partner, the PNP said it stands, “resolutely against violence and is firmly committed to a society free from harm, and where the well-being of every citizen is paramount”. Gayle was a caretaker-councillor.

Just last month too, the PNP cut ties with another potential councillor-candidate, Tyrone Guthrie from Westmoreland, after he was arrested on abduction and rape charges. These are matters before the Court and each accused is innocent until proven otherwise.

Candidate selection has moved into high gear as the political parties get themselves ready for future elections. As is traditional, candidate selection is an internal party process and parties can agree on the procedure for selecting their candidates.

PNP President Mark Golding explained the process earlier this year saying they were introducing a poll which would serve as a preliminary screening of potential candidates. The poll would identify winnable candidates before the delegates are asked to vote. From time to time, we have seen delegates protesting what they describe as the undemocratic manner in which party brasses have sought to foist candidates on their divisions or constituencies, but these flares are usually quelled after discussions with their party leadership.

The weeding-out action by the Opposition party is being hailed as a victory for accountability with some suggesting that it is better to weed out now than later. It is an exercise that all political parties should be engaged in, so that the electorate can feel more confident and less apathetic about the choices before them when they get inside a voting booth.

PUBLIC DISCUSSION

Ultimately, the public discussion will come around to question the quality of people who are offering themselves for leadership and the expectations of the electorate regarding candidate behaviour and character.

We don’t have to think too far back when there were allegations of abuse on the government side. The case of George Wright comes readily to mind. He is the Westmoreland Member of Parliament who was allegedly caught on video beating his then girlfriend with a chair. His action was roundly condemned and he found himself on the back benches of Parliament as an independent, after being rejected by the government side. But then George Wright has suffered no perceptible damage for his alleged reprehensible act, it is almost as if it did not happen. Did his constituents decide to give him a pass and forgive him? Did people think he was provoked into his violent action? Or is it that beating a woman is just what she deserves?

We agree wholeheartedly that much care needs to be taken in the selection of the next generation of political leaders. It is important that potential leaders understand that public service means serving the interest of the public and not serving themselves. It also means they are expected to comport themselves with decorum being role models in their communities.

Character and what motivates a candidate are indicators of the kind of leadership they will provide. With the prevalence of social media, as people attempt to assess potential leaders it might be an important activity to read their positions on their Website to get a sense of where they stand on important issues.

Now is the time to pay attention to potential candidates, elections are only once every three or five years. What elected officials do and how they perform will affect people’s lives for a much longer time.