Holness appeals for more Jamaicans to participate in electoral process

Opposition Leader Andrew Holness has made an appeal in his Heroes' Day message, for more Jamaicans to participate in the electoral process.

Holness says change will only be achieved if more Jamaicans participate in democracy.

He says Jamaicans owe it to the nation's seven national heroes who struggled to achieve the rights and privileges Jamaicans now enjoy.

Participation in general elections have been consistently dropping, with voter turnout for the 2011 general elections being the lowest since independence at 53 per cent of the electorate.

This is except for 1983 when snap elections were called and only a mere 29 per cent of the electorate voted.

Holness says the greatest threat to shared vision and prosperity is disenchantment, cynicism and frustration with the system of governance. He says while these feelings are understandable it must not be accepted as a feature of Jamaican politics.

According to the Opposition Leader, Jamaica needs heroes now more than ever, to navigate the economic hardships; challenge crime and the general malaise in society.