Polling Jamaica style

Published in the Jamaica Gleaner: Wednesday | August 29, 2007

Leah Marville, Contributor

MY HILLSIDE view has always deceivingly painted Kingston a tranquil and simple city.

However, on August 7, Jamaica's nomination day, my veil of deceit was lifted and the mask of tranquility was absent. My routine venture to the gas station below my stay became a front-seat view to Jamaica's belligerent politics.

With scores in orange shouting "People's National Party!" (PNP) on one side of the narrow road, balanced by an opposing sea of green shouting "Jamaica Labour Party!" (JLP), the resultant traffic meandering and ebbing through, acted as the only form of mediation separating the two sides, ensuring a peaceful afternoon.

As the vehicle in which I travelled ventured closer to the party agitators, the noise of political slogans slowly seeped into the car, punctuating Kelly Clarkson's Never Again eventually to a point of inaudibility.

I have always been aware of Jamaica's grim political situation and understood the election period to be a time where many citizens became martyrs to those akin to their political views, but never had my imagination conjured, with any accuracy, anything close to what I had seen that day. To these faces of orange and green, a vote for their party is the validation of tomorrow's meal, and to deprive them of such is to throw oneself into the lion's den.

Grim situation

With this savage aggression staring me in the face, my immediate concern to prolong my safety relied on dissociation with either party. My only consolation at the time derived from the assurance thatthe colour of my shirt was white. In the few seconds that it took for our vehicle to clear the campaigners, I had felt the fear and skepticism that has been plaguing many Jamaicans for decades.

With red and yellow becoming the new 'orange' and blue becoming the new 'green', one's absolute safety in asserting one's neutrality is confirmed by a black and white wardrobe.

Freedom to choose

As a Barbadian, democracy has always meant the freedom to choose one's vote. However, Jamaica forges a democracy where, on its face, citizens are given the choice to vote for either of two political parties, but underlying that, the politically affiliated death toll squeezes the hands of those who dare, into silence.

Under this duress, most middle-to upper-class Jamaicans apathetically shy away as the change in government does not affect the price of bread.

If August 7 was any kind of dress rehearsal for the official election day then I, along with an increasing number of fearful Jamaicans will cower into a back- seat ride to change.

Leah Marville is a Barbadian studying in Jamaica. Story reprinted from www.nationnews.com