Election

Treasure Beach Forum: TB Runnin's: Election
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Puzzled on Friday, December 30, 2011 - 11:10 am: Edit Post

Something seems strange. Was there an election in Jamaica yesterday or am I going crazy?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rebecca on Friday, December 30, 2011 - 12:16 pm: Edit Post

Yes there was an election. The following are the headlines from both the Gleaner and the Observer.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/

Please note TB.Net will not post any politically biased statements. Think of us as the Switzerland of the websites :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Puzzled on Friday, December 30, 2011 - 09:02 pm: Edit Post

Thank you for "pinching" me Rebecca. I knew I wasn't crazy but the silence is deafening. I mean, this was a national election with all it's connotations, and yet not a single comment. As an observer of Human behavior, I find this reaction to be unprecedented.

I, for one, feel a great sense of joy and pride that our little Jamaica was able to make this transition from one Party to another without the violence and acrimony that accompanied past elections. Words cannot describe my elation. Regardless of which side won, I believe that both Jamaica and Democracy won. In other words, the PEOPLE won. Congratulations to all Jamaicans!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff on Saturday, December 31, 2011 - 09:59 am: Edit Post

That is the thing about this board that drives me NUTS! People will go on and on about things that matter not at all but there is a big life changing event like this and not a peep. Baby colic? And then there is the censorship of honest comments. It is a happy face place - no substance.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Spooky Dude on Saturday, December 31, 2011 - 05:50 pm: Edit Post

Jeff, you are quite right,the threat of censorship is stifling comments. A catastrophic event the size of a tsunami is what has occurred.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Patriotic on Saturday, December 31, 2011 - 07:45 pm: Edit Post

We need to get away from the stale notion that elections in Jamaica are violent. The last truly violent election in Jamaica was all of 31 years ago; 1980!

Since then tremendous reforms have been implemented in the electoral system and related practices.

Yes; there have been a few incidents in subsequent elections but by no stretch of the imagination can these be said to have been the dominant characteristics of these elections and they are getting fewer and fewer.

Do the research and you will be able to confirm what I am saying.

And by the way, Jamaica has one of the most highly regarded electoral systems in the world today with its efficiency rivaling that of most so called First World countries. Witness the speed with which the results are declared on election night and how few of these results are really questionable.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Beth on Sunday, January 01, 2012 - 09:17 am: Edit Post

I am a jamaican and one of the things I have learned over the years is never to discuss politics outside your friendship and social group. It gets rather silly and personal. When an employer can hire based on political allegiance rather than ability to do the job it really does speak volumes. Despite the aforementioned, I am thankful we have a democracy and that ordinary Jamaicans can vote for the candidate of their choice and there is peaceful handover of power. It is what I've grown up with and will continue to embrace.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff on Sunday, January 01, 2012 - 02:39 pm: Edit Post

I don't think anyone mentioned violence, Patriotic. There was a change of party in a landslide election and that is a big event - in any country. And there WAS violence - nothing like what was seen in the '80s but there was. People feel very strongly about their party affiliations - like in a lot of places. I did do a little research and can't find anyone who praises the efficiency of Jamaica's procedures but it may be true. Overall - Jamaica rates very poorly in their crime numbers but can't find any specific electoral fraud numbers. The election results were reported very quickly - if inaccurately sometimes. Case in point is south St. Elizabeth. It appears that Mr. Tufton is out - at last count. when early numbers reported him winning. Whatever your affliation or interest this election was a big deal!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Spooky Dude on Sunday, January 01, 2012 - 09:35 am: Edit Post

The speed relates to the size of the vote,that is no indication one way or the other, but what should be alarming is the disconnect between the expectations as provided by the polls and the actual results which defy all the usual explanations. [edited by TB.Net] I see even Tufton has lost.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rebecca on Monday, January 02, 2012 - 07:09 am: Edit Post

This is an article from the Gleaner regarding the election results for Dr. Tufton.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=34281


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Puzzled on Sunday, January 01, 2012 - 10:04 pm: Edit Post

My point indeed Spooky Dude (re your first post). I agree with you Patriotic about the 1980 election being truly violent. Many of us use that as our barometer, but, with that said, no amount of violence should be tolerated when it comes to voting in a Democracy.

I have been secretly hoping for a change, not in the political system, for I trust no politician, but in the mentality of my fellow Jamaicans. A change that will make our people realize that they can only look to themselves for leadership that cannot be found in any politician. I pray that maybe now Labourites and Socialists alike will at last realize that we are one, eschew violence and run 'gence, and come together to make us "out of many, one people". One love.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Maurice Harrison on Sunday, January 01, 2012 - 02:36 pm: Edit Post

Hiring employees on the basis of allegiences are also becomming a thing of the past. Of my 5 employees, Two are definately of the opposing party and the other three are non-committed. Many businessmen and businesswomen in today's Jamaica are hiring based on qualifications and that is a step in the right direction!! We are progressing. Thanks Jamaica!!!! [edited by TB.Net]


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By z on Monday, January 02, 2012 - 04:18 pm: Edit Post

Not to beat a dead horse while its down, but for the citizens of Treasure Beach, who may have felt neglected in responses to political entreaties to their elected representatives, here are a couple of observations from a Gleaner letter-writer that hits the target:

It is one observer's judgement that these comments are relatively neutral, not nastily political, and in the expression of the "Foxes": Fair & Balanced.

• Arrogance and lack of responsiveness were the hallmarks of the JLP administration, especially in dealing with issues raised by civil-society groups. The previous PNP administration suffered from this as well, but this time around the JLP took it to a different level.

Constituency attention was clearly a factor for several MPs who either lost their seats or were under tremendous pressure and only won by a thin margin. Clearly, the lesson here is that people are no longer interested in having a big-name politician who may make a significant national contribution or impact but neglects the needs and wants of the people they represent.


Attention to the local people who elect them and communication with them is critical.

(Quoted from Robert Stevens::Pragma Consultants Ltd::Gleaner Letter:: 2•1•2012)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Z on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 08:14 am: Edit Post

Jamaicans have to unite more than ever before and work together to fix our problems.

It cannot be beyond us to put politics on the back burner, at least for this year, as we celebrate our nationalism. Let us look to the well-being of our people in everything we do, in every decision we take, in every plan we design, whether we voted PNP or JLP.

In this regard, we are pleased to note the growing stature and maturity of our leader, which no doubt contributed immensely to her election for a second stint.

May God be with her as she fashions a Government for all the people of Jamaica.



LINK: Jamaica Observer Editorial

www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/The-second-coming-of-Mrs-Portia-Simpson-Miller _10497524


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zed on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 08:57 am: Edit Post

Ready Or Not...NEW YEARS SERMON BY: The Rev Robert Thompson, Anglican Suffragan Bishop of Kingston:

One of Jamaica's most senior church leaders has warned that economic and monetary policies shaped by market forces alone, with little regard for the social reality of the marginalised, will have negative consequences for the country...(he) noted that despite the lessons of history, successive governments had excluded the poor in the formulation of the social contract.

...we can try to insulate ourselves, but in the end, the wall that separates will come crashing.

"To our peril, we continue to ignore the voices that speak about these social disparities..

Since we are told that the economy will loom largely in our nation's business this year, it would be wise to remind ourselves that the word economy comes from the Greek word for 'housekeeping'..

"If we accept this, it means that economics, regardless of party colours, is primarily about the decisions we make so as to create a habitat where everyone feels he or she belongs.

This household, this national habitat, this place we call home, Jamaica land we love, is the place where none of us can say we have no need of the other. And if this is such a place, then we require from our leaders good housekeeping practices"...


That, he argued, will guarantee that this common life we share promotes the kind of stability that will allow the members of the household to grow, flourish and act in useful and productive ways.

A functioning household does not give priority to one group over another... 'housekeeping' is about how we use our intelligence to balance the needs of those involved and to secure trust between them.

This year, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of nationhood, is a good time to remind our leaders, and ourselves, that an economic policy that wanders too far from the basic objectives of good housekeeping will always be a recipe for social dislocation...
In other words, the good housekeeper will bear in mind the damage that manifestly results from an economic climate, which is reduced to a search for maximised profit independent of the social reality.


He said the African word 'Ubuntu' could teach us something we have all forgotten about, our interdependence.

'Ubuntu' means, 'My humanity is bound up with your humanity, I cannot be me without you, neither can you be you without me.' I am a person because I belong. I participate, I share...When you don't believe you belong, you are not likely to make sacrifices for the greater good. I hope our new prime minister will be someone who promotes the 'Ubuntu spirit' by being open and available to others while, at the same time, affirming their self-worth. Nothing short of that will work in the Jamaica of today."

Declaring that he was no economist, and was therefore in no position to advise on economic matters, Bishop Thompson said if our economic and monetary policies are shaped by market forces alone, no one will benefit in the long run.

He reminded his congregation that Jesus frequently pointed out in the Gospel, that only when we are prepared to live our lives through the eyes of the poor will we make different economic arrangements.

It never fails to amaze me, that when successive governments speak about a social contract, the poor are usually excluded from the equation...We make a terrible mistake when we assume that the poor have nothing to contribute to the social capital.

"History teaches us that when the gap grows between the rich and the poor, when the middle gets increasingly squeezed, and those at the bottom are almost completely forgotten, social bonds begin to unravel and resentment sets in...
The poor must not be seen as the subject of our benevolence, but as part of the social capital for national development.


LINK:: Jamaica Observer:
www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Ignore-the-poor-at-our-peril_10498575


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By citizen on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 02:07 pm: Edit Post

Well said, Zed. Try to put that article in the Gleaner. It is time for all citizens to be treated as one regardless of what party they support. We all cannot stand for one party so, which ever party wins, let's treat the citizens as one. Afterall, the Government has no money of its own. The money comes from the working class --- both parties--- so let's all get the same treatment.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By dz on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 10:43 am: Edit Post

45 Questions: "Tell Me Why"...R.I.P. Natasja

VIDEO LINKS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cdLzptZdA0&feature=relmfu

Jamaica 2 Nice:
www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=glCSb3E7LX4&feature=endscreen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zed on Friday, January 06, 2012 - 01:44 pm: Edit Post

citizen...I was just humbly quoting back Bishop Thompson's words from his sermon, in light of the change of government and Sista P's promise to balance people's lives while attempting to balance the nation's financial books.

It's a message that if we were ever in the pews of such an ecumenical church, we justifiably would be nodding our heads in agreement and shaping our ideas as how we could share or help in such a cause.

Did we not also hear preached from these altars messages on Sunday that cocoon-ed us in the bliss of understanding and goodwill that seeped out on Monday morning when other work, of necessity, took place?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
~ Galatians 5:22-23 ~

"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
~ I Peter 2:9 ~


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zed on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 08:56 am: Edit Post

Jamaica's Fool-Proof Voter ID System Puts US Various Methods To Shame:

I think Jamaica’s electoral process has evolved into one of the safest, most secure systems in the world. And people have actually come here to study our systems.

For example, we have a system called EVIVIS, and it’s an electronic voter-identification system where you put your finger on the machine, and the machine has to read your fingerprint before it releases a ballot for you. And that is going to be used in several of those constituencies where the political parties feel that there may be some voter intimidation.

So because of that, we have a full-proof system. You can’t have people stealing votes or voting in other persons’ names, because of that machine. And remember too, our whole electoral process is overseen by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica. Now the commission is made up of independent members of the PNP and the JLP, so they all have a voice in how our elections are run, and how our systems are put in place.

Jean Lowrie-Chin (a leading media expert; founder of PROComm (public relations firm); creator of the Jamaica Gleaner’s Flair magazine; a veteran political analyst; a columnist for the Jamaica Observer)

LINK:
www.caribjournal.com/2011/12/12/interview-with-jean-lowrie-chin/


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By not so Puzzled now on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - 08:35 pm: Edit Post

With a new Government in place, what are the more essential needs of Treasure Beach? Roads, culverts and drainage, education, housing, jobs? Maybe now the people who started the canal will finish it (wouldn't that be nice).