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Political parties intensify campaigning with tours
A series of rallies by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) began this afternoon.

The PNP moved its campaign into St. Thomas. After touring sections of Western St. Thomas Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller will deliver the main message at a rally in the Paul Bogle Square, Morant Bay this evening.

Tomorrow the PNP will hold a rally in Lionel Town, Clarendon. On Saturday it moves into Port Antonio, Portland and on Sunday the tour moves to Portmore, St. Catherine.

The JLP has scheduled a tour and meeting for St. Catherine on Saturday, which will culminate in a rally in Bog Walk. On Sunday it will tour sections of Clarendon and Manchester before a meeting in Spaldings. JLP Leader Bruce Golding will lead the tour.

‘Outsiders’ to work garrison constituencies on Election Day
The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), announced that Election Day workers in garrison communities would not know the polling stations they would be assigned to until the morning of the election.

The EOJ intends to bring people from outside constituencies to work in those communities for the August 27 polls.

Assistant Director at the EOJ, Earl Simpson revealed that five of the constituencies were located in the South Andrew South police division. They are Western St. Andrew, South Western St. Andrew, West Central St. Andrew and East Central and North Western St. Andrew.

Mr. Simpson also announced that the electronic voting system would be used in 13 of the 19 constituencies in the corporate area.

In the 2003 local government election, the system was used in only one corporate area constituency.

“OhmyGod!”

A political nuisance was shared on video-sharing website YouTube by some American tourists recently.

Posted on July 5 is a clip filmed by the tourists, or persons seeming to be tourists, of a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) motorcade taking over a stretch of road.

It does not state when the incident occurred.

The Labourites’ vehicles peacefully pass the bemused visitors who seemed to share the adverse reaction of many Jamaicans to motorcades - there have been several violent incidents associated with motorcades recently.

“Showa! Showa!” yelled some Labourites; others ringing bells or hanging out of windows as they passed a stationary police vehicle.

“This is crazy,” was the reaction of one American. “This is really overwhelming.”

You can send in your video clips or photographs for publication. E-mail: ross.sheil@gleanerjm.com

Seven kisses for Derrick Smith
More sevens. This time seven is the number of kisses Opposition Leader Derrick Smith got from Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller during the signing of the Political Code of Conduct for the five constituencies within the South St. Andrew Police Division.

PNP education policy nothing new - Opposition
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has accused the People’s National Party (PNP) of being “intellectually dishonest” in announcing it will pay the tuition fees for children at the secondary level whose parents cannot afford to pay.

‘Commit to peace’ - Political candidates urged to be true and sincere
All candidates have been told to be sincere in their claims that they are committed to a peaceful election.

Pastor Renard White, a member of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), yesterday told Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and nine other parliamentary hopefuls that if they “do not possess the desire to be clear, to be clean, and to be upright, I say to you that you are in the wrong business.”

Government of Jamaica, Opposition at odds over National Insurance Fund (NIF) money
Another row is brewing between the Opposition and the Government over the withdrawal of US$15 million ($1.03 billion) from the National Insurance Fund (NIF) to provide a loan to the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) Limited.

Western St Mary - Lack of jobs, poor roads, transportation woes abound
People’s Agenda: Voters in Western St. Mary are chiefly concerned about poor roads while some communities are without piped water.

‘Joshua’ and the rod of correction
Flashback: When Michael Manley defeated Vivian Blake to become president of the People’s National Party (PNP) in 1969, it signalled a changing of the guard.

Early election rules - Candidates could not transport voters to polling stations
In the first general elections held under Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944, a deposit of £50 had to be made on behalf of each candidate. This was forfeited if the candidate polled less than one-eighth of the total number of votes cast in the constituency, or died before the close of the poll, or withdrew, except consequent upon circumstances over which he had no control and which he had no cause to anticipate. Note the use of the word ‘he’ and not ’she’!

A group of friends are drinking in a bar. One of them goes to buy a round. He pauses; turns around and asks his friends what they will be having.

Well, he almost does.

“We not changing no course!” interrupt his friends in unison.

Those words uttered by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, and then spliced in a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) election campaign advertisement, have now entered the national consciousness. Replayed in commercial breaks throughout the day, they echo across Jamaica.

YouTube video clip of the advertisement. Click here to watch part 2

Appropriated by the JLP, taken to by the public and now with the People’s National Party (PNP) attempting to re-appropriate their leader’s words, the question remains: has it been successful?

Two people who were unlikely to agree were JLP spokesman Delano Severight who replies with a sure “Yes!” and PNP spokesman Julian Robinson, who not unexpectedly, says “No!”

“It’s absolutely working for the JLP,” maintains Mr. Seiveright. “The effect on the population is frankly outstanding and beyond our expectations and the most important aspect of the issue is that we’re really connecting to the grassroots and the PNP have realised this. They have tried to spin it but it has backfired on them.”

By that he means the PNP’s reuse of the phrase on campaign platforms, including Mrs. Simpson Miller herself, when announcing the August 27 election date; much to the glee of the comrades crammed into Half-Way Tree that Sunday a fortnight ago, who shouted the words just as lustily as Labourites might.

“I do think the ‘Not changing course’ campaign has backfired on the G2K, ” contends Mr. Robinson of Generation 2000, the young professional arm of the JLP, which produced the advertisement. “The slogan has become a rallying point for PNP supporters as it endorses the course of development and economic growth.”

But what do the voters think? The word on the street in Downtown Kingston is mixed.

Says Chin*, a 20-year-old man who works downtown: “The ‘not changing course’ slogan is working in favour of Portia, the PNP says that they are in forward mode, towards development and growth. So in that light, you can see where it has backfired on the G2K, to Portia’s benefit.”

Ricky*, 25, thinks differently: “Our course ‘affi change! Wah di boss say? All a dem weh a go ina wrong direction and still nah change course … Every time Portia hear dat she mad.”

But then others, like Daddy G*, 47, would like to change the course of Jamaican politics entirely: “Right now me sick a hearin’ dem. Doe even waa’ hear dem ‘Nah change course’. After years of witnessing politics, all now me nuh see no better, matter of fact … wouldn’t mind no voters turn out this year … Mek dem get ah lick.”

* Names changed upon request

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Peace move in West Portland
The political candidates for the constituency of West Portland are to appoint liaison officers in the constituency to help quell increasing political tensions.

The decision was reached during Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair’s meeting yesterday meeting with Member of Parliament Abe Dabdoub of the People’s National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) caretaker Daryl Vaz.

The candidates were called to a meeting after Mr. Dabdoub reportedly refused to meet with Mr. Vaz, because he had allegedly told him expletives.

Bishop Blair says he is confident that the agreements made yesterday will help to diffuse the tensions.

Dwight Nelson opposes consolidating PAYE deductions
Opposition Spokesman on Information, senator Dwight Nelson says he does not support proposals to consolidate all taxes deducted from employees’ salaries.

Government says this would aid areas of the private sector in need of greater funding.

But Senator Nelson says such a system could result in the government investing in a particular sector for political reasons.

Senator Nelson is insisting government maintain the current tax deduction structure.

Opposition opposing National Insurance Fund withdrawals
The Opposition is taking issue with the Government’s decision to withdraw more money from the National Insurance Fund (NIF) to use outside of the purpose for which it was intended.

Opposition spokesman on Labour and Social Security Ruddy Spencer expressed concern about the announcement yeterday by Information Minister Donald Buchanan that Government would lend US$15 million to the Norman Manley International Airport Limited from the fund.

The NIF loan will have a fixed percentage rate of 8.5 per cent per annum to be paid every three months over the next three years.

The amount is to be repaid in 68 quarterly installments after the initial installment.

Last year the Portia Simpson Miller administration first withdrew millions of dollars from the Fund; at which time Government assured the money would be repaid.

Universal Access fund to collect debts
Managing Director of the Universal Access Fund Hugh Cross says steps are now being taken to collect outstanding sums owed to the entity by delinquent companies.

Mr. Cross says defaulting carriers were given a payment deadline of December 30 last year.

He says three companies are still in arrears and have been disconnected and prevented from terminating international calls in the island.

Revenue earned from the charges is being used to finance the national e-Learning project, which is part of the Education Ministry’s plans for transforming the education sector.

Mr. Cross says the Fund has so far provided financing of approximately 143 million dollars for the E-Learning Project. This compares with the estimated 50 million US dollars which was identified as the cost for the project.

The Universal Access Fund Company Limited, which was set up in May 2005, is a government entity that collects a levy on incoming international calls to Jamaica.

Revenue of $2.5 billion has been earned so far.

Code breached - Motorcades attacked, supporters intimidated - Party leaders denounce violent acts
The governing People’s National Party (PNP) and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are complaining about the behaviour of each other’s supporters including acts of political intimidation and other breaches of the Political Code of Conduct.

With 41 days to go before the national polls on August 27, both political parties have accused each other of breaching the Code of Conduct, the agreed guideline for peaceful elections.

Government of Jamaica makes latest move on education - Says students who are unable to pay should not be ‘questioned’, ‘embarrassed’
The political chess game deepened yesterday when the Portia Simpson Miller-led administration made the latest move in the education debate, telling Jamaicans that no child who could not afford the tuition fee should be “questioned or subjected to any form of embarrassment” by school administrators because his or her tuition fee has not been paid.

Leader of the Opposition, Bruce Golding, has put education on the agenda, as one of his party’s major planks in the upcoming election, promising to remove all tuition fees for secondary-level students at the start of the new academic year in September.

Nomination day happenings: Seaga’s ‘lamb to the slaughter’ to Manley’s ‘peace and love’
Nomination Day in Western Kingston for the General Election of 1962 had an African flavour. Three of the candidates used African themes in their campaigns. First was Dudley Thompson, the PNP. He had lived and worked in East Africa as a lawyer and was a close friend of Jomo Kenyetta of Kenya and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania. He adopted the nom de plume of ‘The Burning Spear’. He wore African robes and shirts and sometimes carried a fly whisk. And he interjected the roar of a lion in his speeches. He arrived at the nomination centre smoking a long cigar and wearing a leopard skinbelt.

Contributed: President of the United States George W. Bush (left) with Omar Frith (centre), Manager of the Grants Pen, St. Andrew-based Stella Maris Foundation, at the Conference of the Americas, held in Washington D.C. last week. The Bush administration has funded community policing efforts in Grants Pen, including the construction of the ‘Model Community Police Station’, via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Election candidates in the constituency of North East St. Andrew took a further step towards peace by signing a political code of conduct this morning.

The Political Code of Conduct is being signed by candidates in all 60 constituencies.

Gleaner Online was invited back to the Grants Pen area of the constituency to witness the signing, after reporting from the community last week. Unfortunately for Grants Pen, which has experienced relative peace in the past two years, there were two murders prior to the signing – one this morning and another on Saturday night.

However both murders were gang-related and not politically motivated, stressed Inspector Michael Simpson, commanding officer of the ‘Model Community Police Station’, located on Grants Pen Avenue, where the signing was held.

Omar Frith, Manager of the Stella Maris Foundation which runs a community centre on Grants Pen Avenue, said the signing was another step towards community transformation.

“The signing was a symbolic gesture concerning the fact that Grants Pen has been in the past consumed by violence. All the organisations have been working in the past to make Grants Pen a safer place, so it was time for the political representatives and the stakeholders to join in on this effort,” said Mr. Frith.

Local Member of Parliament Delroy Chuck of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) downplayed the threat of political violence in the community. “There have been gang wars and domestic disputes, but no political violence,” said Mr. Chuck.

“Violence is not part of my upbringing, it has never been … we need to help these people. Lets not condemn them, let’s rehabilitate them.” said Hugh Thompson, caretaker for the People’s National Party (PNP), of the young men in the community.

Major Audley Harris, Justice of the Peace and the Assistant Returning Officer for the constituency, encouraged the candidates to respect the Code and maintain the peace. Major Harris recalled that former JLP leader Alexander Bustamante once rebuked his supporters at a rally for booing the name of his cousin, PNP leader Norman Manley.

“No, no he is my cousin, and you will treat him with the same respect you showed me,” Major Harris quoted Bustamante defending Manley. “And all of us in this room are more than cousins, we are brothers and sisters.”

Many readers will be aware of Wikipedia, the online open source dictionary - which allows anyone with access to the Internet to post, edit and even debate entries on any given subject.

However there is relatively little information for the Caribbean and Jamaica on the site. For example: the entries for Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Opposition Leader Bruce Golding are languishing at ‘stub’ level.

Photos by Ross Sheil: Wikipedia entries for People’s National Party President (PNP) Portia Simpson Miller and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Leader Bruce Golding.

Stubs, explain Wikipedia, are “… either a very short article or a rough collection of information that will need much work to bring it to A-Class level”.

So, if you do not want the nation’s leaders to remain at stub stature on the international stage; then improve the information, by making your own additions to the site or joining its communities, such as WikiProject Caribbean.

You can enter all kinds of factual information such as politicians’ positions on various issues, controversies or political achievements.

You do not need to sign up with the site to get involved in Wikipedia, however it is advised, since otherwise your IP address will be recorded publicly, which will enable others to identify you – creating a free Wikipedia account will maintain your privacy.

With Wikipedia being open source it is possible - and it does happen - for persons to post incorrect or malicious information. Therefore for Wikipedia to remain a reliable resource you must post responsibly and correct information posted by others where necessary.

As of today Wikipedia claims approximately 7.8 million articles in 253 languages making it the world’s largest and fastest growing encyclopedia.

‘Polls don’t have to be bloody’ -Prime Minister urges electoral maturity
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has denied the claim by Opposition Leader Bruce Golding that the long campaign period will increase the likelihood of violence.

45 MILESTONES - 1983: That snap election
Flashback to the uncontested election, which was called by Prime Minister Edward Seaga of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and boycotted by the Michael Manley-led People’s National Party (PNP).

Tag team fillips People’s National Party (PNP) chances
Minister of National Security and Member of Parliament for East Central St. Andrew Dr. Peter Phillips will be joined at the polls this election by his son Mikael, who is running for the seat of East Rural St. Andrew.

Television advertisement by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ).