JLP and the way forward

The 2011 General Election in Jamaica will be viewed as historic for a few reasons.  It is the first that a government served one term in office; it is also the first in the history of politics that a woman is leading a party to victory and it is the first in our history that we are having an election after Christmas but before the New Year.  Andrew’s defeat at the polls caused him to be one of the shortest serving Prime Ministers of Jamaica, (with the exception of Donald Sangster who died while in office) he served for 2 months and a week to be exact.  Now that the dust has settled and the reality has hit it is now time for the party to examine what went wrong and begin to position themselves for the future.

What went wrong?

Generation 2000, the young professional arm of the Jamaica Labour Party launched a series of attacks.  Firstly they began to attack the president of the People’s National Party, Mrs. Portia Simpson-Miller.  One would have thought that after watching the leadership race within the PNP the group would have learnt that when you attack this woman it causes people to become sympathetic and cause her to receive votes.  The organisation also launched an attack on the media; any well thinking individual would know that you cannot fight the media.  I will be the first to admit that certain elements in the media were evidently biased.  However, when one can control the thoughts of the public whether via a microphone or a camera one must be careful of the attacks; the organisation created enemies within the media and the attack worked against them.  The party along with Generation 2000 also took a swipe on gays and while we all may have our views on this sensitive matter we must be realistic.  It is important that we respect one’s choice, the issue of morality will surface but frankly whatever a man chooses it is for him and his God to make amends on judgement day.  This gay issue got personal and G2K along with certain elements within the party began to attack individuals who they suspected were gay.  As such the campaign was no longer about the issues within the constituency of which these perceived gay persons are representing but more about their sexual orientation.  This broadside attack backfired and in fact the persons who are said to be gay all won their seat.  There was also a level of arrogance that existed among the top brass of the party.  The common rhetoric of ‘it is not what you say but how you say it’ was at play and the Jamaica Labour Party failed to grasp this clever rhetoric.  The party was not smart in how it sold the message, it is known that there is no money to pay public sector workers, yes we had to cut capital expenditure projects but the issue was how it was sold to the people.  The party did not realise that the people you disrespect and shrug are the same ones you will ‘beg’ to vote for you when it is time to face the polls.  The Jamaica Labour Party suffered significantly in the area of communications and public relations; the people will not know what you are doing unless you tell them.  Not many of us will read a manifesto; frankly the people are not concerned about this document.  They are more concerned with the ‘bread and butter’ issues.  They want to know that they have money to go to the supermarket, money to send their children to school and some want to know that they have a job.  The JLP should have broken down this issue and sold it to the people. While it is good that Mr. Shaw can point out that during the 18.5 years that the People’s National Party was in power Jamaica's growth averaged 1.2 per cent while the world economy grew at 5.0 per cent per year; growth in the Caribbean and Latin American exceeded 6.0 per cent, the truth is Jamaicans are really not concerned with these issues. Yes we have a stable exchange rate, BOJ/GOJ interest rates are at an all time low, there is record net and gross foreign exchange reserves, improvement in our balance of payments, a successful debt exchange program, growth in our economy despite the recession and a comprehensive tax reform is underway. Are Jamaicans really interested in hearing this?  Jamaicans want this message to be broken down in the simplest common denominator and the Jamaica Labour Party failed in this aspect.

The PNP’s Strategy

The PNP after their loss at the 2007 general election went back to the drawing board.  They stayed far from using their leader as the main person in the campaign, something they did in 2007 and this is what the JLP used in 2011. They reconnected with their base and while the JLP was busy in government the PNP was busy getting their people on the voters list.  They focused on critical seats and ensured that they were in constant contact with the people.  The PNP also used technology to their advantage; they outdid the JLP which was seen as the tech savvy party.  The PNP had paid ads on Face book; they had carefully crafted links on the Gleaner website that would take us to a site to inform us of their plans.  The advertisements were well focused; they informed the people of what they will do if they formed government. They played on the arrogance of the labour party and they focused on the people hence the tagline ‘People Power’.  The PNP went for its finest, they had PJ Patterson a chief architect who led the PNP to four consecutive victories, and they also had Vin Lawrence who led the Urban Developed Corporation.  Under his leadership we saw the evasion of the spanish hotels and investors who developed the Sangsters International Airport and highway 2000.  They also had Alston Stewart and this was bolstered with the team that was already in place.  The campaign was well focused and the mission was accomplished, even though Andrew was new he played right into the hands of PNP.  The mistakes he made at the mass rally in Manchester led them to call him ‘baby bruce’ and the issue of trust resonated among the people.  The PNP led the way with the campaign and the JLP was always on the back end.  As it reached closer to the election the JLP campaign seemed desperate and was completely lost, this was coupled with the JDIP issues and the unfortunate handling of the ‘spy plane’ issue.

The Way forward

The Jamaica Labour party must now quickly lick its wounds and position itself for the future.  First order of business is to reposition Generation 2000.  This group must return to its mandate and become a ‘think tank’ for the party. G2K must now return to the days of David Panton and Christopher Tufton, we must see policies coming to the fore, they must guide the party on its course to success.  The opposition although small in number must be effective in parliament.  While the PNP can pass any bill without the need of the opposition the JLP must use the media to its advantage while showing the nation that they are holding the government to task.  The opposition spokespersons must be informed and must challenge the ministers at all times.  They should never be quick to oppose but must be strident and show the Jamaican people that they are keeping the government in check.  The party faces a serious challenge, most of the parliamentarians are from the old guard and hence an old style of politics.  Andrew must be skilful as he moves the party forward; I believe that the party must ensure that they retain some of their candidates.  It is going to be hard but we must have people like Marlene Malahoo, Danville Walker, Sapphire Longmore, Robert Montaque, Dr. Christopher Tufton, Paula Kerr-Jarret et al to continue working in their constituencies.  I also suggest that all these people are appointed to the senate so that the opposition can be strong and effective.  The party must also reconnect with its base, they are not energized and they must find innovative ways to get them to stay true to the party.  If I may take a line from popular entertainer Buju Banton ‘It is not an easy road, many see the glamour and the glitter and think it’s a bed of rose’.  Uneasy is the head that wears the crown and the road ahead for Prince Andrew will not be smooth.