Peter Espeut | In these last days

Those who study Jamaica’s politics must observe carefully how both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) conduct themselves during the run-up to the general election constitutionally due by September this year.

Each successive political opinion poll conducted over the last few years shows increasing decline in voter support for the JLP, and increase in the support of the PNP. The local government elections a year ago confirm the vast swing towards the PNP, better than any opinion poll. The JLP is fully aware of this: there was no celebration in their camp after those local elections. We are almost certainly in the last days of the JLP administration of PM Andrew Holness.

It will be of great interest to students of political science to carefully observe how the JLP conducts itself, as faced with almost certain defeat by September, it tries to regain lost support. Similarly, there will be much analysis of how the PNP plays its cards over the next months as it holds close to its chest the policies and plans it intends to pursue after its expected electoral victory. Hopefully, lessons will be learned, and we are also in the last days of patronage politics. But I am not holding my breath!

Until now, both parties have largely treated the Jamaican electorate – especially those of lower socioeconomic status – with contempt, both parties acting as if their votes can be bought with plates of curry goat and assorted goodies proffered or promised as the election approaches. The parties seem unable to grasp that many Jamaicans “play fool to ketch wise”, and “nyam dem out and then vote dem out”. Never before have so many billions been on offer. When that strategy will have been shown to be ineffective, can we look forward to a more respectful style of campaigning in future elections? Will the two political parties learn anything? I hope so. But old habits die hard.

PUBLIC RELATIONS TACTICIANS

Nowadays, election campaigns are fought by public relations (PR) tacticians, who assume that ‘the people’ will believe anything if they hear it often enough. Every state agency with a PR budget is using taxpayers’ money (quite immorally) to campaign for the ruling party, emitting a barrage of claims in the mass media that things are going exceptionally well, despite how ‘the people’ might feel when they go to the supermarket or after they lock themselves in their homes at night.

The essence of political spin is not to tell the whole story: tell only the good news; the down side must go unspoken. The economy has never been in a better position, with the lowest unemployment rate in history (despite over 600,000 Jamaicans being judged outside the labour force). The government has achieved macroeconomic stability and high foreign currency reserves (despite being in technical recession). The income tax threshold has been raised to 1.5 million dollars per annum, meaning fewer salaried (better off) people are required to pay income tax (but then lost tax revenue was replaced by indirect taxation, putting a greater burden on the poor so the better off could prosper). The government is fixing infrastructure without external loans (but is borrowing from future governments by spending future income today).

In a free country it is the responsibility of ‘the press’ – with their professional journalists and opinion columnists – to expose political malarkey coming from all quarters, and to report on the state of the country in a balanced way. Honesty requires telling the truth, which is going to be unpleasant for the dishonest.

Political parties often have their own party newspapers; they have a job to do, and they must do it: they must spin their party in the best light possible. Responsible media practitioners will tell the truth without fear or favour. When you cannot tell the difference between a party paper and a national news organisation, then journalism will have sunk to a new low.

COPY OUR NEIGHBOURS

We Jamaicans are known for seeking to copy our neighbours to the north – in good things and in bad. Maybe we are learning from certain US media houses (like Fox News and MSNBC) which spend their air time pushing the agendas of the political parties they support. I hope that the students at our journalism schools encourage their students to study Jamaica’s media landscape, especially in these campaign times. When a media house is partisan, does it help their party to win? Or does it simply discredit the media house in the eyes of ‘the people’?

The party in power (which controls the government propaganda agency) would love the mass media to simply republish government press releases, and rebroadcast political speeches, and rehash them daily, basically doing free PR work for the party in power. In return, they will expect government advertising revenue, and to be favoured when paid outside broadcasts are being scheduled.

Those who analyse the economic and political goings-on in Jamaica must be sure to assess the quality of the election campaign – the cut and thrust, the charges and counter charges – to figure out why politicians stay in politics, and what drives voting behaviour and what some people call (or mischaracterise as) ‘voter apathy’. If the PNP and JLP are indistinguishable in terms of their (lack of) commitment to end corruption, and their failure to seek the common good, then each election will simply be an exercise in voting out the incumbents.

If you are better than the other side, come out and tell us that if you win you will strengthen the integrity commission and remove the gag clause. Promise that if you win you will publish the details of all contracts entered into by the government, and that you will pass legislation to require political donations to be made public. Then people may vote FOR you, and not just AGAINST the other side. And let the other side steal those ideas if they wish!

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and development scientist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com