Serious polls ahead

Howard Walker, Staff Reporter

WITH LOCAL Govern-ment elections less than three weeks away, the two major political parties, the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are sparing nothing in their preparations for the polls.

They both aim at victory and a mandate.

The JLP, starved of political glory for years, is using this election as a signal to the PNP. However, the PNP is firm on not breaking its current track record. In a recent address to the party's National Executive Council, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson was adamant ­ "We must win the Local Govern-ment elections."

But for business leaders, the focus has to be beyond the poll and getting the country back on track.

According to Beverley Lopez, head of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), this election is important to both parties, "but it seems to have taken on a much greater level of importance for the Opposition as they have put it forward to the Jamaican public as almost a general election so they have a lot more of their fortune riding on this election."

Doreen Frankson, new president of the Jamaica Manufac-turers Association (JMA), says that Local Government elections are obviously important for community representation but stresses the need for a peaceful poll.

BEST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENT

"As manufacturers our focus is firmly on securing the best possible environment to enable us to get on with the business of production in what is a very challenging period for the country," she said.

As usual business must go on, said Mrs. Lopez, and she "just wants to see it (the election) out of the way so we can settle down to our agenda to Jamaica."

Since the first Local Government elections in 1947 the PNP has dominated the election scene having won nine of the 13 times the polls were held.

According to the JLP General Secretary, Dr. Ken Baugh, the voters want to send a strong message to the Government.

REFERENDUM

"We feel that this election which is about seven months after the general elections will be a referendum on the performance of the Government, considering that so much has been revealed that previously was hidden," Dr. Baugh said.

PNP General Secretary, Maxine Henry-Wilson, says the JLP can use this election for anything that they want, but her party is seeing it as Local Government elections to elect councillors to the system.

Mrs. Henry-Wilson was firm in her response. "If the JLP wants to use it as another political platform, I can't prevent that. They have to use it like that because they don't have anything to tell the people, given their extremely dark history in Local Government elections. In the absence of any platform they have to clutch at a straw," she said.

In a recent Don Anderson poll, Jamaicans have made it clear that the upcoming election is to be taken seriously.

About 25 per cent of those intended to vote, say they will be casting their ballots for the JLP compared to just under 20 per cent who say they will vote for the PNP.

If this holds true to form, then there is likely to be a shift in this balance of power between the major political parties.

However, 56 per cent interviewed are either undecided or unsure of which party to vote for.

The JLP feels that the tax increases and political scandal surrounding the PNP have pushed the polls in its favour.

"There are heavy new taxes, serious devaluations, massive increase in prices, all as a consequence of very bad Government policies which favoured winning elections but were not in the interest of the people generally. Because of that, we think that these are very serious issues for the Parish Council elections, although they are national issues," Dr. Baugh argues.

However, the PNP says as usual, the JLP has no solutions to any of the country's problems.

"We know what we are going to the people for and we are not pretending that there are no problems," said Mrs. Henry-Wilson. "They (JLP) have not presented any platform, we have. We have presented to the people, where we need to go to solve the problems."

She also explained how important it is to win this election as "we have been the strongest advocates of a local governance system. We believe the structures and the functioning to be critical to the involvement of persons in how they govern themselves. It also provides for communities to really have a say in what is going on. We have introduced certain critical reforms and therefore these elections are important from these perspectives."

FULL SUPPORT

According to the JLP as far as the Local Government elections are concerned, "We are in full support of the further democratisation process, whereas municipalities will add another dimension to bringing people closer, so that they have a closer participation in local government affairs.

"With so many taxes that were postponed until this time, and the decisions that were taken up to the run-up to the general election, are now having serious implications on the quality of life and the standard of living of the people. All these have been affected in a very negative way. We are sending a message to the Government." said Dr. Baugh.