Durrant Pate/Contributor

Newly formed political organisation Jamaica First Movement (JFM) has launched its ‘Your Vote is Your Voice’ national campaign designed to combat voter apathy and empower citizens to vote with a clear conscience.

The Jamaica First Movement (JFM), which last week split with the has launched “Your Vote is Your Voice,” a national campaign

Party chairman Reverend Al Miller, at the non-partisan campaign’s launch last Friday (August 29), also used the platform to shed light on the recent split with the Jamaica Progressive Party (JPP).

At the news conference held at Fellowship Tabernacle in St Andrew, Miller explained the movement’s recent separation from the JPP was a decision made to “preserve its core mission of putting country over politics”.

He declared the JFM is now continuing its mission for a new Jamaica by championing the principles behind the ‘Your Vote is Your Voice’ campaign, urging the country to exercise its democratic right to vote on Wednesday (September 3).

“Go to the polls. Be counted. Let your voice be a testament to a new future. Your vote must deliver a clear verdict: either a candidate is the right choice for Jamaica, or they are rejected. It is time to make Jamaica win,” was his message to Jamaica.

Miller reiterated the JFM’s steadfast commitment to healing decades of national division by working to establish a government of national unity.

According to the tele-evangelist, “this foundational vision for national unity was the principle that undergirded the alliance with the JPP, but a fundamental difference on this issue led to the dissolution of the partnership.”

In light of this, Miller apologised for “raising the hopes of many who were looking for an option towards real change, and the inability to realise it through that political alliance.” 

Message to uncommitted voters

He delivered a sober message to uncommitted voters, saying, “Your vote is your voice. On election day, every registered voter has a duty to let their voice be heard. To abstain is to be silent when our nation’s future is being decided. We must not allow others to decide for us when it comes to justice, integrity, and the welfare of our country. If you are tired of the status quo, where the priority is party and pocket first, you must let your voice be heard. 

When your conscience is troubled, we are not called to be silent protesters but persuasive messengers. So, what do you do when, after prayerful consideration, you find that none of the parties reflect the leadership qualities our nation requires? Your conscience is a gift from God, and it must be obeyed. But do not mistake a troubled conscience for permission to stay home. A troubled conscience is a command to act. If you cannot vote for any candidate in good faith, you must still go to the polls and record your dissatisfaction.”

‘How to vote on Election Day’

He is calling on uncommitted voters to rather than not to vote to go out and vote, noting “on your ballot is a powerful option: mark ‘0’ beside ALL the names to declare your dissatisfaction. This signifies ‘none of the above.’ This is not a wasted vote. It is a recorded statement, a data point of conviction that says, I was present and engaged, but the options presented did not meet the minimum standard.” 

Continuing, Miller made the point that the ‘none of the above’ ballot is a

• I want Jamaica to win, not a party. 
• I demand character and qualification in our leaders. 
• I demand an agenda that protects the vulnerable and upholds human dignity. 
• I demand better. The current offering is not good enough. 

He further argued that a collective voice when one votes according to conscience, the collective becomes a community bound not by partisan loyalty, but by a shared conviction for a higher standard for Jamaica. 

“When we flood the polls, whether to vote for a candidate or to vote ‘none of the above,’ we send an unmistakable message to every political organisation. Let us tell every politician and party loud and clear: We vote for candidates, not parties. We owe no commitment to anyone who does not meet the standard of righteous leadership,” Miller told journalists gathered at his church.

Miller explained, “While we support candidates truly committed to serving Jamaica, we reject those who fail to uphold what is right, just, and best for our nation.”