Mark Wignall | Elections this year?

Mr Julian Robinson, People’s National Party (PNP) member of parliament (MP) for South East St Andrew is, to my knowledge, a reasonable man. In a recent address to the PNP Women’s Conference in St Ann two weekends ago, he suggested that pressures building up would force the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to call elections this year.

“In two weeks’ time, on September 4th, the Jamaica Labour Party will start its fifth year in Government. In my own analysis, we will have an election this year. I will explain why I believe so. There are eight Labourites under investigation for illicit enrichment, unuh know what that mean? We have never in the history of this country, or in any democracy anywhere in the world, you could have a prime minister going three years and him integrity report cyaa clear. Never! Parliament deh pon a break now. Wi a go back inna September. Mi expect one or two a dem report deh fi come, and when dem come, bangarang a go come to, so we need to be ready,”

If Robinson is to be taken seriously, it would be a mix of the JLP throwing in the towel, forcibly facing its truth and reconciliation moment and publicly admitting that management lethargy has caught up with it. It would do so while asking the growling dogs to go easy on its brittle bones.

The essential point raised by Robinson: ‘We have never in the history of this country, or in any democracy anywhere in the world, you could have a prime minister going three years and him integrity report cyaa clear. Never!’ must not be taken lightly.

It is important that Prime Minister Holness understands that this matter of the ‘forever pending’ state of his IC filings is a state of affairs that sits uneasily among a significant percentage of the middle class who constituted his most fervent supporters in September 2020. Talk of the ‘illicit six’ moved it to the attention of the man and woman at street level.

At the same time, the only subject that occupied the minds of Jamaicans (especially the young deifying Kartel) last week was the ferocity of recent gun attacks.

In a recent column, I stated that I had seen no indicators convincing enough to show that a change in government could stem the mayhem and killings. A reader wrote in response,

“There is so much dodgy behaviour in this administration. He, the PM, seems to have lost control. He has held no one accountable and maybe he doesn’t have a firm footing to impel him, and thus he cannot lead and cannot do the job. He cannot expect to enjoy the people’s confidence and support. The top echelon of the JLP is tainted. With that in mind, I think a change of government might be better for Jamaica.”

That seems to mesh with the premise outlined by Julian Robinson. Is the nation prepared for the political explosions, or does Mr Holness and his team have a last-minute surprise for Robinson and the PNP?

WHIPPING BY JAMAICAN WOMAN

Donald Trump is a lying machine. Politics was tailor-made for him. Why? Of all the professions, none accommodates lying more comfortably than party politics.

In the 2015-2016 US presidential campaign and the actual elections in 2016, the world was introduced to Trump. In Trump’s election, America’s democracy was showing to the world the perils of free speech, the dangers of a conman at the top of the ticket, and the rewards of political lying to gullible people.

The P. T. Barnum latest find in 2016 sent many people into a long, depressive state. Somehow, the Americans, our relatives in Florida and affordable sections of New York, and NATO allies bore it out. At this time, the snake oil salesman is proving to be quite slippery, but the good news is that the Jamaican lady, Kamala Harris, is in with more than a chance.

In 2016, millions of Obama 2012 voters decided that the racist stew in which they had been simmering was much too spicy, and they returned to their natural lodgings. At this time, the big question is, Can Kamala Harris convince this large percentage of holdouts (white males without a college degree) to vote for the Democratic ticket in sufficient numbers to meet the Democratic objectives?

On just about every metric Harris is trending in the right direction, and outside of regular and countless polling, a vibe exists - something that is palpable. In elections, the first priority is likeability. Harris has that. The second is a grip of the issues that directly affect the likely voters and the ability to articulate those issues without talking down to the people. The lady has mastered that. The rest of it is skilful, packaged hypocrisy. Harris is an attorney. Enough said.

The switch could not have been choreographed any better. Biden slipping away to his pre-sunset presidency, Harris and her team of skilful strategists, planners, and organisers in the field, her choice of VP all make it seem that this was about a year in the making, and it was being rolled out like generals deploying many divisions on a beach.

Harris’s greatest concern at this time is coaxing 19-30 year olds who are in the vibe zone to transfer that feel-goodness to votes and to take others with them. In Jamaica, we all have a horse in this race like never before. She has our blood. we have hers. It is one blood!

Like the great Spike Lee said, he is uncomfortable saying the name Trump. The entire Democratic fold must self-internalise disgust at his name, reverence for Kamala, and maintain that vibe all the way through to November. This is not the moment to relax even though the bright morning and the late evening are joyful ones.

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