"Not to vote, is not an option."
That was the strong word of advice issued by the president of the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU), the Reverend Michael Shim-Hue, who appealed to all registered voters to participate in the general election today.
The JBU president, who issued the call in a press release, is emphasising that it is both a godly and civic responsibility of all adults to exercise their democratic rights by engaging in the polls.
"All registered voters should go out and vote. Vote for the political party that you are convinced is best for Jamaica at this time. This is what our forebears sacrificed sweat, blood and their lives for," he charged.
While encouraging voters to carefully consider which political party would be better at leading Jamaica and improving the conditions of Jamaicans, Shim-Hue stated that persons should trust God and trust the electoral process.
"God is demanding of you to vote for Jamaica by voting on February 25," he declared
He also had a word of advice for those seeking political power. He urged them to refuse to be controlled by the love of power.
"Let us not be caught up in power and arrogance, which are committed to reducing others to dependency, deprivation and bondage."
Shim-Hue also cautioned Christians and the wider Jamaican citizenry to stop accepting less than the best from our leaders and from each another. He lamented that too many Jamaicans have grown accustomed to a "perpetual state of abnormal conditions of life".
"That is not God's plan for His people ... ," the JBU president noted.
In this regard, he is advo-cating for Jamaicans to lobby for improved health facilities islandwide.
"If Jamaica's health system is not good enough for our politicians, it is not good enough for the rest of us who live in Jamaica. We can make it better."