Editorial | Agenda 2025

There is every expectation that national attention will shift sharply to the general elections due by September 2025. From all the recent soundings we are already in campaign season. Even with an election looming, people expect the machinery of government to work effectively to implement appropriate measures and modern initiatives to improve their daily lives.

The country faces a new year with many of the same old challenges: budget deficit, national security, education, health and environment. The Holness administration will have another opportunity to prioritise these challenges and demonstrate that it has the will and capability to fix them.

For example, the country is anxious for bold, new strategies to keep people safe and secure in 2025. What investments will be made to ensure citizens have access to quality healthcare, education, transportation and housing in 2025?

Based on past experiences, confidence in a government electing to do the right thing is not high and has even led to a great deal of apathy and scepticism on the part of the electorate when election time rolls around. For example, there are people in some communities who live with decay and neglect around them, garbage remains uncollected, roads require nimble navigation, and they see no hope. Many complain that they only really see political representatives during election season, but they are rarely seen when there are problems that need to be fixed.

Not to be taken lightly, non-voting is a powerful expression of alienation from the political process. In the 2020 general election there was a 37 per cent turnout of voter and earlier this year only 29.6 per cent marked ballots in the local government elections. The higher the number of non-voters, the more deeply troubling this should be for any country.

In other words, people don’t think their vote will make any difference to their way of life. It is noted that efforts by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) and the Electoral Office of Jamaica to educate voters about this important civic duty fell have fallen on deaf ears.

CAMPAIGN SEASON

Here are some things to consider. First, during campaign season politicians spend less time on governance and more hours criss-crossing the island giving speeches, making promises, kissing babies and presenting themselves as the better candidate as they appeal for votes.

And because elections are costly affairs including advertising, holding rallies, posting banners, issuing posters and other activities, fundraising is high on the agenda of politicians and their parties. This raises a serious question: who are the real funders of these political parties and what might their reward be?

Then there is always a temptation by the ruling party to use resources for re-election purposes thereby offering an unfair advantage to incumbents. Memories are not short enough to erase the recklessness of certain unwise economic decisions which were taken in past election seasons to enhance the chances of the political administration.

Combined, all these possibilities call for vigilance of the electoral process to avoid misuse of administrative resources and to provide voters with the assurance that they should exercise their franchise because it really matters.

“I understand democracy to be something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong,” said Mahatma Gandhi, as he argued about the power of the vote. This is an urgent reminder of why our forefathers fought so stoutly for this right, it is a shame to squander it.