Is politics worth your limbs?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced the date for the local government elections and the illegality disguised as excitement has begun. The recent unfortunate incident in St Thomas, where a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporter lost her leg on a motorcade, brings the issue of safety and the law into focus.

It has been an age-old situation in Jamaica where candidates and their supporters openly break the law, by putting themselves in harm’s way. Candidates and supporters form metres-long convoys swerving through traffic, with their body parts protruding through windows, doors and on top of vehicles.

It should be noted that supporters sustaining injuries in political motorcades is not new to Jamaica. There have been extreme cases where persons have died as a result of injuries they received while travelling in political motorcades.

It is ironic that our lawmakers oversee the blatant disregard for the law and the safety for the persons for which they seek to lead. It is further ironic that these political motorcades are often piloted by police officers who have a duty to uphold the law. Some of the offences that the supporters commit include body protruding, careless and reckless driving, and not ensuring the safety of passengers.

The police, however, are placed in a peculiar position, due to the volume of breaches and the practicality to prosecute the offenders in the heat of the jubilations.

Our leaders are duty-bound to ensure the safety of Jamaican citizens and visitors alike, and the mere telling supporters not to hang out of moving vehicles, only when there is an accident, is not acceptable.

While the recent incident in St Thomas is sad, the lesson to be learnt can be lost in the excitement going forward. Hence, our leaders and candidates should lead by example and constantly denounce lawlessness in every form.