Mark Wignall | Is the JLP underestimating the PNP’s strength?

There is a significant political view that a feeling of arrogance has gained footing inside the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and in the medium to long term, it may not work to the JLP’s advantage. It goes like this.

The JLP’s default mode on its understanding of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is that the PNP has not travelled enough distance from the whopping it painfully endured, seat by seat, in the September 2020 general elections. In other words, it has not recognised that it had a need to perform political penance.

To do this there was a great need for a huddle, a shedding of tears, a gathering in the back room of great ideas and a working pledge to be better the next time out. So far, nothing has been revealed that this proverbial walk to the mountaintop was taken. Of course political pundits like me would have to be divorced from political history to NOT believe that some form of this did not happen.

But back to the JLP. Local government elections is long due. It is my view that the JLP has adopted the position where it prefers to skirt the constitution, play psychological games with the PNP, and utilise the historical freedoms allowed it in titillating the PNP while sending it in many directions all at the same time.

I have not been privy to any polls setting out the strengths of the JLP and the PNP. If the JLP is now sitting on a treasure-trove of current info that is pointing to a holding of its pre- and post-September strengths, there is no guarantee that that alone could push it to call an election and wipe out the PNP again.

It may decide to play cat-and-mouse with the PNP simply because it believes it can get away with it without too much political flak being hurled at it by various sectors of influence in the country. On the other hand, there is the likelihood that recent political findings may have been collected. They are favourable to the JLP, but since that time, much has happened in the Jamaican society to make it more difficult to accurately gauge the mood of the voters.

CHIMED IN

A few faithful readers of my column have chimed in.”The JLP is doing a disservice to itself by delaying the calling of the local government elections. And you know I am JLP. The right thing is the right thing,” said the 75 year old.

A younger person said, “The current government’s ploy to delay local government elections once again is disingenuous. Let’s look at the landscape. COVID restrictions have been lifted since last year. Except for curfews and SOEs, there is a sense of an expanded freedom of movement in Jamaica.

“Mask wearing and social distancing all but gone. So what is the real reason for the delay? Well I am not going to pretend that I have my eyes and ears more embedded in international circles than others. But you know my connections. I think that the recent SSL debacle and somewhat critical press of the current JLP administration has the JLP nervous.”

I suggested to him that if the general public was of the view that if the PNP was in power it would have done no better, he said, “I believe that the PNP’s nipping at the JLP’s heels may have unnerved the JLP a bit.”

Then he said: “The SSL scandal has hit home. Don’t take it for granted in your broad political analysis. Jamaica’s universally loved icon Usain Bolt’s money to the tune of US$12 million has been fleeced. Don’t take that too lightly in terms of the international fallout.”

“So are you saying that there may be a hidden hand, an international political and economic hand at play in this?” I asked.

“Please don’t put words in my mouth. What I have seen and others have, too, are FSC reports very unflattering to SSL and lack of governmental intervention. Some of the names called, the people involved, point to a closeness to where? Ask yourself that.’

“But back to elections,” I suggested.

“I think that it is not so much that the JLP is scared about losing the local government elections. A more interesting dynamic is at play. I think that if the JLP wins it but puts up a less strident fight than in September. in other words, have a poor showing, they, the JLP, will feel even more pressure.

“Remember now, since the end of 2020, the JLP has been used to easy navigable times. Times of little political stress. The party has been sitting easy. Those times may be changing.”

LAZINESS SETTING IN

On the phone his voice registered much concern. “Mark, remember when Holness won his constituency the first time out, he barely scraped through. What he did after that was to expand his organisation to the point where he politically transformed East Rural into his and always in the JLP column.

“Shahine Robinson did the same in North East St Ann. They both did the work. Well I have something to tell you. Many sitting MPs have grown lazy, and they deserve to be toppled,” said the rockstone labourite.

“So how do you believe the JLP would shape up at the next local government elections?” I asked.

He didn’t hesitate in answering. “Not as good as the last one.”

NO FINE ON ROMANCE

I have never met Mr Edgerton Newman, president of Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services [TODSS], but I suspect that if I met up with him, we would hit it off. Somewhat, somehow.

Recently, he was complaining about a few specific fines levied under the Road Traffic Act. As reported in The Observer, a motorist was fined $6,000 for stopping in the left lane while kissing a woman under the no-stopping sign.

As quoted in the article, Mr Newman said, “Now I come out of my vehicle and kiss my wife, and my girlfriend for that matter, wishing her goodbye, going off to work, and I am charged $6,000. Now the point must be made that it’s a no-stopping sign, but that’s a bit much.”

Mr Newman, I agree with you. That is just a horrible distribution of funds. And for such a noble and romantic act. The man could have been saying, “Honey, we no longer kiss at home. Let’s do it in public where the gesture has brevity in it, and it leads to nothing more.”

And it is quite possible that the fines could have been levied with the following caveats. Kissing wife: $1,000. Kissing girlfriend: $1,000. Kissing girlfriend with wife at home: Fine $50,000. Kissing wife and having no girlfriend: The Transport Authority pays you $6,000.

So, Mr Newman, possibilities exist.

Mark Wignall is a political and public affairs analyst. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and mawigsr@gmail.com.