Source: Jamaica Observer
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
August 7th, 2007 was nomination day for candidates who intend to run in the upcoming general election. I forgot to take my camera to take pictures of the spectacle taking place around the city. Passing Maxine Henry Wilson’s camp on Lady Musgrave Road, one would believe it was a mid-week wedding reception. The comrades were out in full force, dressed in orange. The yard was decked out with about 1/2 dozen orange flags hanging from the fence, about 1/2 dozen JUTC buses were parked outside, somewhat obstructing traffic and comrades were waving flags in the street. Three minutes away was the Joan Gordon-Webley camp. I didn’t see much action going on, but I suspect I may have been passing after her crowd left.
Last night’s news broadcasts gave us an island round up of how the various nominations were going. It seems as if the whole island was out in full force….and this is JUST nomination day. Sista P calmly told the public that she was sure that her opponent “that young man” won’t be returning after the election. And she is right! There are certain seats that are safe. Thanks to the modernisation of the system, those in the safe seats in general and Portia and Bruce’s seats in particular, will get 99.9% of the votes, instead of the usual 120% of what is on the voters list. When Bruce drove through Tivoli Gardens one had to wonder if his opponent could find 10 people in the constituency to nominate him. It was a sea of green. Portia’s was similar, but what was amusing was when her opponent turned up, the comrades were the ones who were there to greet him. Delroy Chuck is another safe seat. The other day when he wrote his farewell article in the Gleaner, claiming he was out campaigning, I wondered why he bothered. Chuck is a man that works for his community and yesterday was the first I was seeing his opponent. His seat is so safe that he had to ask people to come out and vote for him because people think his seat is already safe so he doesn’t need them to come out and vote. A friend called me from West Portland to give me the low down. My friend had left their house from 10 am on the Abe Daboub bus, collected a shirt and enjoyed the after party. My friend said that the “comrades were out so look like Missa Daryl haffi tek weh himself”. As for Mandeville, the town was in a carnival-like atmosphere. And we can’t leave out Babsy Grange whose behaviour was appalling. The way she handled the EOJ representative was disgraceful. The darling of the JLP, Gordon-Webley proclaimed that this was just the “icening (sic) on the cake”. That’s your future for you!
While I won’t comment on every single constituency, I will say this much. One thing that was confirmed yesterday is that there are a whole heap of unemployed and unemployable people in Jamaica! I have a big problem watching a plantation full of people dressed in party colours whining and gyrating in the streets in the middle of the week in the middle of the day. BIG PROBLEM! These are people with a lot of power as they determine who rules Jamaica, yet they are as idle as hell…..they are clearly not gainfully employed. We taxpayers just have to accept it! What I can’t understand is that all the candidates, bar none, encouraged this in the name of power. One thing I hope for is that no matter who wins, they have the means to create gainful employment for the youth. We cannot allow our number one resource, our citizens, to lay about idly.
Poor Jamaica!
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