My expectations of a riveting first of three political debates on social issues were low before the start last Saturday. There was no change at the end.

Perennial questions surrounding the relevance of political debates, costing J$25 million overall in this instance, I am led to believe, remain on the table.

Last Saturday night (August 23), there were two clear winners on either side: Raymond Pryce from the People’s National Party (PNP), and Matthew Samuda of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). They kept me awake, and I was tired.

Debating is an art, and Pryce showed that his years at St George’s College did not go in vain. Samuda too, apart from a bit of aggression at times, which is normal, carried the baton of the three-member aggregation as if his life depended on it.

As for the other team members on the JLP side, Kamina Johnson Smith, the foreign minister and almost Commonwealth secretary-general, rambled too many times, and, as expected, sidestepped the question on the situation that involves Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Integrity Commission.

Bright as he is, Pearnel Charles Jr flopped big time. He did not appear to be comfortable, although he made a spirited late run in his closing remarks. He showed that he was not even familiar with issues related to the National Housing Trust, and well as the icy school bus situation. He even rolled the pitch for Pryce to hit him for six on the NHT.

Damion Crawford was clearly uncomfortable. The unnecessary facial overdose of makeup did him no good. He was on top with his data, but was clearly off with his natural flow.

The makeup and inner heat made him look as shiny as a reluctant boar going to the slaughterhouse. I have never seen that from a man as energy-filled as he.

Sophia Fraser Binns could have stayed at home. There, she would have enjoyed being in her comfort zone to watch Dr Alfred Dawes deal with the many questions in healthcare and the environment that were posed. I could not believe that in such a debate, the PNP did not include Dr Dawes.

So, it had to be Samuda as the JLP’s messiah, and Pryce, the PNP’s salvation.

Samuda’s Campion College teammates – Charles and Johnson Smith should propose a toast to him.

Pryce, too, despite not getting as much speaking time as Crawford, will be encouraged to take his debating style into the schools, regardless of the outcome of his September 3 contest with Alando Terrelonge in St Catherine East Central.

Rush work at election time

One of the appalling things that has characterised the lead-up to the September 3 general election is the indecent haste with which the quick-fix approach has been embraced.

It is a reflection more of the ruling party in most circumstances, as that party forms the Government and has more members in the House of Representatives.

Lower down, the municipal corporations have been doing their quickies too, focusing on some of the minor roads for repair that will last no longer than the time it takes to make a baby, when weather systems and heavy-duty equipment step into action.

What is happening now, is not dissimilar to what has prevailed since the late 1940s and beyond – spruce up the place so that you keep your opponent at a distance in terms of sending a message of achievement and in a cheeky way, trying to fool up the people that you actually did something during the five years that you got the mandate to execute.

But there comes a time when such practices must be ruled outlawed, by the voting people themselves. Why should a member of the Jamaican Parliament skylark for four years and nine months of a five-year term, and with only three months remaining, he proceeds to pack all the goodies that he has for his constituents in one small package? Does that make sense? Does such a person deserve to be ‘rewarded’ with another five-year term in office? I think not.

There are communities in St Mary for example, whose citizens get water in their pipes once per week, and sometimes it turns into two weeks when someone messes up at the distribution plant. In this day and age? Come on, man. Had I still lived in any community of the sort, there is no way that a sitting member of parliament could get my vote if certain things were not rectified, and the most important one, to me at any rate, is the supply of piped water. Any MP worth his salt (or water) must either spearhead the putting in of systems that will ensure or guarantee a regular supply of water, or make the kind of representation to the sleeping National Water Commission that will stand out.

As for roads, there is this unholy split in responsibility between the State-controlled National Works Agency and the municipal corporations. Farm roads, too, have something to do with the Ministry of Agriculture.

As a matter of urgency, there must be one agency that has responsibility for all roads. That out of the way, the political representatives would have a better chance of getting things done through that agency, instead of trying to kick down bureaucratic doors.

Back to the current situation, it makes no sense that after nearly five years, all that can be done is pack limestone (marl) into holes that need far more attention. The idiots who oversee such a job know for sure that within 48 hours, all that marl would be gone to other sections of the earth. Yet, they continue to insult our collective intelligence by sticking with the practice.

Widening corners with tractors and clearing overhanging vegetation are small projects that ought to be done consistently, throughout the year, not at election time alone.

It is time that MPs who do such things, JLP or PNP, stop taking the people for fools.

This business of buying votes

Vote buying has become a lucrative activity whenever municipal and general elections are being held.

And money is not the only item of purchasing here … there are more ways to win over votes, or prevent people from heading to the ballot boxes. It is something that I have seen over many election periods and is practised by both leading political parties, although, historically, the Jamaica Labour Party has led the way in that regard, more so due to its deeper roots and ability to get financial support from more of the wealthy.

There was one particular incident that I will never forget, and that was during the general election of 2007 when I was providing media coverage. While roving, I came across a man I knew, a JLP supporter, positioned across from the Belfield Health Centre in St Mary South Eastern. He had a wad of money, pockets bulging like a typically overweight individual. He targeted some ‘sure’ voters of the PNP stronghold, and started off with an offer of J$5,000 to those who would take the money, dip their finger in violet liquid and go right back home without entering the polling booth. The money went higher, depending on who was going out to vote. The police were there. They did nothing.

Not everyone took the bait, but many did. I wrote about the incident, but it never made the bold headlines. It was then that I found out how nonchalant people were about the practice. It did not start in that constituency. It was merely another leg of the relay that had reached there.  

When a candidate gives a registered voter back-to-school book vouchers and tells that voter that he is providing the articles in exchange for a vote, then that is vote buying. I was in western Jamaica recently and had a discussion with a first-time voter who had been disgruntled for decades. Her reason for deciding to vote this time was simple: she did not have a job, she was a single parent, and if someone came along with the kind of offer that she got, she would break the drought.

Now, she admitted that she had received book vouchers valued at J$15,000. I asked her if she would really ‘sell’ her vote for that value, highlighting the fact that it was money that belonged to the people of Jamaica, and taken from the Constituency Development Fund…not from the pocket of any MP.

I went further by emphasising that follow-up contributions were not guaranteed for subsequent years, and so, the reality is that she, the recipient, would get only roughly $8 per day for the next five years. 

The point is, someone should vote for a candidate based on a set of criteria – performance being one of them, or intent, if that candidate happens to be a newcomer. 

Kishane, Noah or Oblique?

I have been urged many times in the last week to put a wager on which male sprinter will win the 100 metres at the World Championship in Japan, starting mid-September.

But, being a non-gambler, the prospect of throwing down or throwing away money does not excite me.

What is certain is that while the United States women, based upon their performances so far, are clearly ahead in the betting over the distance, the non-US men are looking more and more like legal Caribbean herbs and spices are giving them an almighty boost.

Top Jamaican Kishane Thompson remains my favourite to win the event, as he is now running through to the line freely and frequently and at his very best, he will not be defeated.

Noah Lyles, the United States’ bragging star, is not to be discounted. His experience is priceless.

But now, the man who many are talking about is Oblique Seville, who last week beat Lyles, something achieved by his Jamaican teammate Thompson days earlier.

The race will be riveting and could be the most-watched of the Championship. Still, my small amount of money remains in my pocket.