Gordon Robinson | It isn’t apathy, it’s a modern day slave revolt

Recent Local Government Elections (LGEs) again featured Jamaica’s political immaturity and neediness.

At time of writing, “Chatty Chatty” Dayton is still on radio trumpeting a 7-7 result which he says is a PNP “win” based on “popular vote” and number of divisions won.

Sigh.

If Civics was taught in schools not even Chatty Chatty could expect to get away with such arrogant, patronising, fuzzy maths. So let’s go slowly and carefully for Chatty Chatty and umbilically attached followers. There are only THIRTEEN Municipal Corporations (MCs). What does this mean? A 7-7 result is impossible.

Included in electing thirteen MCs was voting in Portmore for the Portmore Municipal Council and Mayor of Portmore. But that Council is a part of St. Catherine MC. PNP entered these LGEs in charge of Portmore’s Council and exited still in charge. Not only is there no change in Portmore but PNP is credited with Portmore divisional wins in St. Catherine MC election. If not for Portmore, which JLP has tried manfully to gerrymander out of St. Catherine, JLP would win St Catherine MC.

So, trying to conjure a new MC in Portmore, when it’s Portmore that gave you St. Catherine, is nothing but disingenuous double counting. And plain wrong!

Chatty Chatty’s spin-doctoring “if this was a General Election….” sounds like manic desperation. Here’s the thing. If Chatty Chatty’s Aunt had testicles she’d be his Uncle. It was NOT a general election. Central Government wasn’t on the line. If, as in 1986, PNP won a majority of MCs, maybe….

But it lost.

So, let’s return to the real story namely the 13 MCs. At time of writing, JLP is confirmed winner of St. Thomas; Portland; St. Ann; Trelawny; St. James; St. Elizabeth; Clarendon. Not even Chatty Chatty has disputed this. This means JLP won 7 of 13 and thus the overall election. Period.

So far, PNP has been declared winner in Manchester; Hanover; Westmoreland and St. Catherine which are four of the five they controlled going into this election. St. Mary and KSAC seem headed to PNP (as I predicted last Sunday). JLP might take KSAC, the biggest prize, further but that’s for another day.

If PNP wins KSAC/St Mary it would’ve lost LGEs 6-7. The. End!

It wouldn’t be the first time one party won the majority vote while the other won the election. It happened in 1949. In 1955, PNP won 11 per cent more votes but only four more seats than JLP. In 1967, JLP won one per cent more votes but 13 more seats than PNP. Popular vote, schmopular vote!

You know I can’t resist reminding you I accurately predicted 11 of 13 MC results last Sunday ( Two Referenda) and the final score JLP 7; PNP 6! That’s an overall accuracy of 86 per cent which surpasses the standard for two-team contest predictions (55 per cent) by a gap. That’s better than any of the pollsters who polled voter intent/preferences converted to persons voting for PNP/JLP. As I promised you, actual votes cast on Election Day were very different.

The contrasting styles and content of Party Leaders’ post-preliminary count reactions was stark. In a rabble-rousing rant more suited to campaign rallies Mark Golding prematurely and falsely claimed “we pulled off as great victory today” when PNP was confirmed as winning only four MCs. He didn’t gracefully thank voters or commit to working for all Jamaica which is standard for political winners. Instead he offered this narcissistic, cringe-worthy boast “I know you want to see I man Mark Jefferson Golding in Jamaica House!”

That was consistent with a pernicious political anxiety from which his utterances look to have suffered for three years culminating with his gratuitous boast to journalists on Monday morning “You are talking to the next Prime Minister of Jamaica”.

Really? Seriously?

Monday morning’s premature ejaculation sounded like Portia’s famous last words “Do I look like a loser?”So, on Monday night, we were listening to a man who disobeyed horseplayers’ first rule “never say can’t lose”; whose horse then lost; and who was blaming jockey, trainer, groom AND Stewards. It couldn’t possibly be the fault of Jamaica’s “next Prime Minister”.

Yep. Definite political anxiety!

A more statesmanlike PM spoke in calm and measured tones to remind media that seven has always been more than six. He also acknowledged that JLP’s win came with a caveat. Obviously Government needed to work with MCs to ensure roads were fixed and water connected as much as possible. He was listening to us. Mark was shouting at us.

But there were other LGE players. Media coverage also varied. Nationwide News Network (NNN) broke the most fundamental rule of journalism when it impulsively declared PNP the winner hours before the preliminary count was close to completion and days before official final results. It was the sloppiest instance of so-called journalism I’ve witnessed and is far more damaging to the Freedom of the Press cause than the simple “error” it’s being called by NNN faithful.

Early Tuesday morning Clifton Hughes offered a personal apology to listeners/viewers. Good on him but he needs to go further. He claimed personal responsibility for the “error”. It was NOT just an error. That a veteran journalist should stray so far from journalism’s primary “get the facts” imperative inflicted a grave wound to his and NNN’s credibility. Unlike politics, journalism cannot accommodate anxiety and Clifton’s body language, as he announced he was about to “call it”, exuded anxiety likely triggered by Comrades’ persistently provocative characterization of his station as JLP FM.

His co-host’s body language strongly suggested neither he nor the producers was consulted. In responsible journalism, elections aren’t “called’ by anchors but by production teams usually assisted by computer modelling to include exit polling; voting demographics of boxes already and to be counted. But it seems solo mio is Clifton’s modus operandi and the fact he got it right before (including another premature call in 2016’s General Election that nearly backfired) doesn’t excuse his flawed process. He must assure us NNN’s systems will change.

By contrast, TVJ’s coverage was excellent. As Anchor, the superlative Dionne Jackson-Miller was careful (sometimes too careful) to report actual results. She avoided forecasts. The post 8 pm panel was simply magnificent as they provided studied, rational, focused ANALYSIS of results without a scintilla of political bias or wishful thinking. Earlier ever reliable Earl Moxam provided his usual high quality historical input. It was cheese to chalk.

EOJ gets a failing grade. It’s barring of CAFFE observers from 11 per cent of preliminary counting locations was inexplicable and only provides fodder for losers’ silly “stolen election” excuses. It matters not that JLP/PNP representatives were present. We the People need independent observers to see and report on proceedings. A CAFFE report that no chicanery, collusion or conspiracy took place is vital to electoral confidence.

EOJ took forever to publish Monday’s live counts and another forever to finally declare an election of less than 600,000 votes. By any yardstick that’s incompetence. If they can’t manage this how will they add Political Ombudsman to their responsibilities?

Speaking of voter turnout…. Less than 2016’s 30.06 per cent turnout shocked all pre-election pundits including ye olde scribe. The latest report is 29.2 per cent. Lookie here: This means there are no new voters. Cowardly commentators keep demanding JLP/PNP find ways to better engage voters.

Rubbish!

Politicians only want to count votes. They care not how many people contribute to that count. Commentators’ responsibility is to identify problem and solution. Crowds at recent political campaign rallies prove that political “engagement” isn’t the problem. The problem is the vote itself. Jamaicans are maturing politically. Many see their vote as useless except as a bargaining chip. Political history proves:

• whoever is “in power” remains unaccountable to voters, do as they like; and won’t improve citizens’ daily strife;

• the much ballyhooed “vote” is itself a tool of manipulation and oppression. It’s restricted to selecting MPs/Councillors. JLP/PNP treats us contemptuously by barring us from voting for President, PM, Senator or Mayor (except Portmore). It’s taken for granted we’ll “vote” to hand these and other important government managers’ selection to JLP/PNP leaders themselves selected by a minority of party members.

That’s not a vote. That’s mental slavery! Low voter turnout isn’t apathy. It’s a modern day slave revolt!

We the People don’t care who “wins” power in this perverse process. I don’t expect arrogant Trolls shouting “vote or shut (expletive deleted) up” on social media to possess the intellectual capacity to understand they are disrespecting 70 per cent of the electorate. Is THAT democracy? Or sycophantic denial of the real problem?

If you give people something to vote for they’ll vote. If you tell them to vote green or orange they’ll kiss teeth and walk away.

Peace and Love.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com