The Road Ahead
Since the days of Garvey the Jamaicans have fielded candidates to challenge the two colonial political parties which have descended from British crown rule. However to date no independent candidates have been successful in Jamaica since its reformation as a neo-colonial state 75 years ago. This is a result of two major factors at play in Jamaica, These are:
- How the average Jamaicans view politics. In political science this is called the Overton window which describes the phenomenon perfectly “According to Overton, the window frames the range of policies that a politician can recommend without appearing too extreme to gain or keep public office given the climate of public opinion at that time.” This means that if Jamaicans view the role of politicians as; to deliver patched roads and directly hand cash to individuals. This became the standard by which politicians are chosen. Conversely if Jamaicans believe true independence and eliminating corruption are the responsibility of politicians; non-performance in this regard will be accompanied by removal from office.
- There has been no well structured united alternative presented to the Jamaican people. By this I mean the only non-JLP or PNP options have been either A) underfunded individual candidates. B) Loose associations of independent candidates. The most popular of which was NDM an organization which has been removed from registration and consideration as a political party by the government’s new rules on who can deliver a united alternative to the two major parties
The path forward in the mission to improve Jamaica has never been more clear, The United Independents’ Congress is the reason why the two colonial parties united to restrict who can be considered a party and challenge them across the island. With more than 63% nonparticipation in the 2020 election the stage is set. Jamaicans have given up on the major parties as we come into global political consciousness and the Jamaican people begin to contrast the stagnant water of corruption which has filled the gutters of our nations body politic. With that in mind we the Unites must take our destiny in our hands as we endeavor to elect the representatives of the people from among the people.
No longer can we allow ourselves to be divided by those who have descended from our colonial masters and groomed as an extension of the system of cruel usury by our former enslavers and have proven themselves incapable of fair and efficient governance. This is the time for us to go out into our beloved island and spread the ideals of progression through unity. The UIC is the only answer to the questions that stand ahead of us in our quest to liberate the Jamaican people and empower them to make the decisions which will propel us to raise the living standards of all the citizens of this beautiful island. To conquer our only true opposition we need to shift the Overton window to a place where our fellow citizens of Jamaica land we love can find viability and participation in the process of creating the first truly independent Jamaican constitution.
