For Jamaica to free itself of the stigma of vote buying, low turnout of electors and some irregularities at election time, the nation must decide on mandatory voting.

It is not a strange thing, for other countries of the world, 21 of them now, including one of the largest, Australia, have such a system in place, and from all accounts, it works well. Australia records between 91 and 96 per cent voter turnout at election time.

Belgium in Europe, and some countries in Latin America, also report success in using the system, which essentially allows more people to have a say in the decision-making process of the land, curtail voter suppression, and greatly reduces vote buying.

The penalties for not participating vary.

I strongly believe that that is the only direction in which Jamaica can adequately address what now obtains, for what we are seeing nowadays is simply unacceptable and has become the norm. Any candidate who does not have money to dole out to some voters at election time just cannot make it, and that is caused by a revolution led by the younger set of voters, who see money as the only way to enter or stay far from a polling division.

The billions of dollars that are spent on bribing people to vote or not to vote on election day and leading up to it are frightening if you are in the know. Those financial resources could be used to do so many other progressive things that would provide significant benefits to Jamaica.

So now that the 2025 general election is over, which has resulted in victory for the Jamaica Labour Party over the People’s National Party (at last count it was 35-28), the serious work of ridding the environment of post-election talk of vote bribery (buying) must be looked at, following several years of accusations, which intensified during the 1970s and 1980s.

The Electoral Commission of Jamaica has reported that around 39 per cent of the roughly two million eligible voters exercised their franchise, which, if true, and I really doubt the figures, would mark the second consecutive general election that under 40 per cent of voters participated. 

The Local Government Elections are even lower, but that’s a story for another time in the near future. 

There were too many other claims of irregularities, and some of them may have merit. What happened in St Andrew West Central, for example, the prime minister’s stomping ground, with the magical movement of numbers while the counting went on, needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Something just did not look and feel right.

All doubt should be removed from people’s minds once the evidence shows that everything was conducted above board. The ECJ cannot remain silent on that one, and a few others.

Needed now: Fresh faces in Cabinet

With the JLP securing a mandate from the majority of voters in the September 3 General Election, it is important to the country to be handed a better slate of legislators who will serve as best as they can on the executive.

The last administration had too many people who did not fit the bill, and with the numbers now fewer to choose from, Prime Minister Andrew Holness will be well advised that now is the time to put away loyalties and reward the island with competence, as best as he can.

The most pressing needs now are the provision of water, and securing better healthcare for the citizens, residents and visitors who occupy our space.

Matthew Samuda started his painstaking job of improving water supply, but, in fairness to him, he did not get enough time to implement some of the projects that he had committed himself to getting started. Samuda needs to be taken from behind the curtains of that ridiculously named Economic Growth and Job Creation Ministry, and placed in one in which he can be clearly seen as the man who will put the commodity in people’s homes, on their farms and businesses.

He is one individual who can make a significant difference to what happens to the JLP administration over the next five years. Water though, must be more heavily funded than we have ever seen. There are too many communities without it, or get it once a week from the National Water Commission, and it just should not be allowed to continue.

Health is a completely different matter. Dr Christopher Tufton has not distinguished himself in that capacity over the last nine years, amid swirling controversies about the misuse of funds at public institutions, and sick people getting worse when they turn up at hospitals and health centres for treatment.

Health demands a fresh approach, and a fresh face, and that is why I believe that Holness should appoint Dr Elon Thompson, among other things, an experienced urologist, as minister, coming from the Senate.

Tufton should be named as the country’s next speaker of the House of Representatives. At least he would find himself heading one form of government, which itself is quite powerful.

Rhoda Moy Crawford being used as a minister would not be far-fetched. She has built her stock in Manchester and must be placed right under the microscope for a fully in charge position.

Delano Seiveright has the competence to become one also, having done enough work, most of it behind the scenes in tourism, to keep one of Jamaica’s top foreign exchange earners afloat.

He could even operate within that tourism ministry, which I suspect will continue to be led by Ed Bartlett, and serve as state tourism minister, with responsibility for global marketing. And Jamaica will need to be marketed with much more vigour these days, as tourists capitalise on growing alternatives.

It would not be a surprise to see Krystal Lee and Tova Hamilton, victors in St Ann North Western and Trelawny Northern, respectively, get recognition as state ministers at the least.

But there must not be a continuation of the status quo. The days ahead will be different in parliament, and the Government had better be prepared for it.

PNP candidates should stick around

There is no need for candidates of the People’s National Party who lost their bids to become members of Jamaica’s House of Representatives in the September 3 general election to pack their bags and go away, now that the election smoke has cleared.

Some good candidates were fielded on both sides, and there had to be winners, with the PNP losing out in a close contest. Some of the Opposition’s candidates are young for politics, others not so young, but many are competent, and it would suit them to stick around and fight, if it is that they find politics as their ultimate destiny.

Among the candidates who did not make it, but possess skills that Jamaica could use in future political endeavours are Danishka Williams, Dr Andre Haughton, Gabriela Morris, Dr Miranda Wellington, Janice Allen, Christopher Henry, and Stacey Knight—all brilliant individuals who have nothing to be ashamed of. If it were left to competence alone, they would all be sitting in the House of Representatives. Alas, the first past the post system is what matters.

Perhaps the PNP could shift from its unwritten rule of not appointing losing general election candidates to the Senate, and allow the six named to serve in the Upper House. Allen has experience in the Senate, and with Damion Crawford and Peter Bunting back in the House of Representatives, and Lambert Brown not as sprightly as before, Opposition Leader Mark Golding could look no further than those unsuccessful candidates. 

Bright start to schoolboy football season

A few changes have been made to the format of this season’s ISSA schoolboy football competitions, and we look forward to seeing if those adjustments will achieve better quality football over the next three months.

To mark last Saturday’s (September 6) opening day of competition, two of last year’s shining lights, Kingston College and Garvey Maceo High School, ticked off victories in their opening encounters, and both looked decent.

Manning Cup defending champions KC hosted Charlie Smith High at Stadium East, and took a long time to settle, which allowed Charlie Smith to be the dominant force during the first half. The second 45 minutes though, were quite different, and KC eventually ran away 3-0 winners, which included the conversion of two penalties, one of which I thought was not justified.

Garvey Maceo cooled Foga Road 2-0 in the rural area daCosta Cup. From a distance, the Clarendon school, built by the Cuban Government as a gift to Jamaica and named after one of its famous heroes, look like title contenders once more. We shall see.