Kristen Gyles | Political tribalism alive and well

We have come a far way. Since the bloodiest election in 1980, political tensions have subsided drastically. Increasingly, Jamaicans have been safer on our roads at or around the time of general elections and people are generally more tolerant of those who have opposing political views.

Now that everyone knows there is no nobility in defending their party with violence and we were starting to think political violence was a thing of the past, news broke that on Tuesday of this week, the current MP for the Central Kingston constituency and his campaign team were erecting campaign signs in the constituency when a car pulled up and fired shots at them. Apparently, the MP’s security returned fire but no one was harmed.

The stark difference between the political climate now and the pictures painted of the political climate back in the 70s, would make one conclude that we are living in a totally different Jamaica. And the Jamaican political climate evolves still. The more time progresses is the more we move towards a culture that cries shame on not only political violence, but other politically motivated crimes. Fortunately, Tuesday’s incident was not a common occurrence in 2025 Jamaica – but it was a flashback to where we are coming from.

For a candidate, from either side of the political divide, to be lawfully carrying out campaign activities and suddenly come under gun fire is a sign of some lingering depravity among tribalists. In 2025, we do not attempt to kill others because they are running for political office. So, it looks like some rogue colonial mind from 1925 somehow made their way into 2025 and wants to drag the country all the way back to dark times.

REDESIGN SCHOOL UNIFORMS

Remember when several schools had to redesign their uniforms because they had even a splash of green or orange? Students were being targeted for wearing their uniforms. Let that sink in. If it sounds absolutely asinine, it’s because it is. And it sounds strange because after decades of violent political tribalism, we have grown.

But growth is not an end in itself. Growth is a journey to a higher self. We are still on that journey. And while Jamaica has graduated from a state of rabid political violence, tribalism is not dead. We know it is not because property still gets vandalised, campaign signs still get torn down and public buildings and property still get plastered with green and orange paint.

Further, is political tribalism lessening or just becoming more subtle? Is it only tribalism when weapons are drawn and threats issued? Our political leaders might not realise it but they feed into a lot of the political hatred that abounds. Many decisions are made in parliament not because they are genuinely thought by the majority to be good decisions but because the majority bands together under the banner of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) or the People’s National Party (PNP) to do what is politically expedient for their party leader. When it happens, which is quite often, it demonstrates that they care most about the positions of their respective parties than about the actual issues on the table, whatever the implications actually are for the Jamaican people.

SUDDENLY CONCLUDED

For example, the multiple states of public emergency declared by the government in recent years all suddenly concluded due to a stalemate between the Government and the Opposition. On several occasions, the government required at least one vote from Opposition senators to reach the two-thirds majority necessary for an extension. In each instance, they failed to secure that one vote. What is the point of a parliament if the party that wins the election will always have their own sweet way every single time a bill is tabled in parliament?

US President Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ was majorly supported by republicans but a few republican senators voted against it because they simply could not support what they thought would negatively affect the residents of their respective states. Such a thing would be an oddity in the Jamaican parliament.

Jamaica is looking to the next generation of politicians who will be Jamaican before they are either JLP or PNP. Young people, especially, have to further this journey away from political tribalism. They are the ones who will need to usher in a new dispensation of objectivity, progressivism and a willingness to collaborate for the greater good of society. Young people should be ashamed to be characterised with the same pitiful and shameless displays of intellectual dishonesty and pretence characterized by the politics of the olden days.

We have walked miles since Independence, but we don’t have much further to go unless we change intrinsically the way we do politics.

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com