Lynford Simpson, Staff ReporterTHE MOVE last Tuesday by the Opposition to push for the setting up of a joint select committee of Parliament to examine the proposed Municipalities Act, is the clearest indication yet that, despite repeated assurances from Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, the long overdue Local Government elections will not meet the March month-end deadline.
This crucial piece of legislation must be debated and passed in Parliament in order for the people of Portmore, St. Catherine, to be able to elect their own mayor.
Due since 2001, the Local Government elections have already been postponed on at least two occasions.
To have the elections in March, the Prime Minister would need to make an announcement no later than Tuesday of this week. That would facilitate the holding of the polls on Monday, March 31.
True, the Government could proceed with the election and then allow the people of Portmore to elect their own mayor afterwards.
But, with the Portmore municipality in the making for some time, and numerous assurances that it would have been a reality by now, I'm not sure People's National Party (PNP) councillors in the St. Catherine Parish Council would be comfortable or confident facing the electorate before the Act is passed. It is the citizens of Portmore who have lobbied vigorously for their own municipality.
In the run-up to last October's General Election, they warned the two PNP Members of Parliament for the area, Dr. Paul Robertson and Fitz Jackson, that they would not vote for them unless they got firm assurances on their municipality status.
The threat obviously was not carried out as both men won their seats comfortably. Would the PNP councillors be as lucky if the municipality is not in place before the Local Government elections? Time will tell.
The truth about joint select committees is that a matter could be resolved at one sitting.
However, if the matter before the committee examining the proposed amendments to the Defence Act is anything to go by, it could be a drawn-out process.
The Government's move to give police powers to the military to aid in the anti-crime initiative, has been before such a committee since the third week of December 2002. It is yet to be resolved.
Local Government Minister Portia Simpson Miller has indicated that the matter will be dealt with expeditiously "because the people of Portmore are watching".
BOTH SIDES UNPREPARED
On closer examination, the move by Pearnel Charles, Opposition spokesman on Local Government, to refer the matter to a select committee, suggests neither of the two established parties is prepared to face the electorate and for different reasons.
Word on the street is that both sides have been negotiating for a further postponement.
This is believable as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), so buoyed by its 14-seat gain in the October 2002 General Election, has not even appeared to be in election mode. Bear in mind also that the JLP's general election campaign got going long before the PNP's.
A negotiated extension would come as no surprise as, although both parties have been naming candidates, one does not get the feeling that an election is imminent. There is no obvious campaigning. Councillors and would-be councillors are in a wait-and-see mode.
In the case of the JLP, the party is reportedly broke and unable to convince its financiers of last October's General Election, which it lost narrowly, to come back on board.
The way politics is practised in Jamaica, those financiers would now be expecting to be reaping the benefits of the money they had pumped into the party's election campaign, by way of Government contracts etc. But, the JLP is still the Opposition and those who have supported the party over the years are now hesitant about coughing up more cash.
Also, the JLP is perhaps still in the process of regrouping after the general election loss, anxious not to again be out-generalled by the PNP. When all the post-election analysis is done, it is clear that the Seaga factor aside, the JLP was outfoxed by a more battle-hardened bunch.
Compare the PNP team of Dr. Vin Lawrence, administrator, Dr. Paul Robertson, campaign director, and Maxine Henry-Wilson, campaign manager, with the JLP's Dr. Ken Baugh, General Secretary; Arthur Williams, Deputy General Secretary, and Bruce Golding, whose return to the JLP was too late to influence the outcome of October 16.
The PNP was managed by a better team.
This was clear when Mrs. Henry-Wilson recently told a post-election forum at the University of the West Indies (UWI) that the PNP, having realised that it would not score another landslide victory, concentrated its efforts on the seats it could win.
For those who still harbour doubts as to whether the PNP campaign was better managed, just look at the JLP's determination to bring out a bigger crowd to Half-Way Tree square.
By the time that was accomplished, the PNP was busy trying to bring out the votes on the day that numbers most mattered October 16, 2002. The rest is history.
PLAYING FOR TIME
Why would the PNP want to delay the impending election by even one week? Having created a nightmare of sorts for itself in the months following October 16, the PNP is now playing for time.
It promised not to introduce any new taxes, but has already introduced new tax measures aimed at raising $205 million. The majority $160 million will come from motorists through increased licensing and examination fees and fines for traffic breaches.
Obviously this has not gone down well with the motoring public, especially that at the same time, Members of Parliament granted themselves massive increases that will cost taxpayers roughly $200 million over the next year.
Add to the PNP's quandary, the public gaffe by Dr. Omar Davies, Finance and Planning Minister, who admitted at a party conference that he maintained spending on certain projects in the run-up to the election, mindful of the fact that such expenditure could hurt the economy. But he had to ensure a fourth term for the party. He also accused members the Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF) of being thieves.
He subsequently apologised for both statements but the damage had already been done.
There were numerous calls for his resignation from all quarters and the spotlight was kept on the Government for longer than it would have liked, so close to an election that took on added significance in the wake of the close general election the closest in more than 30 years. The PNP is still in damage control mode.
There is now talk that the election will be held early to mid-April as the Government must get it out of the way before Dr. Davies delivers what he himself has described as his "most challenging" Budget yet.
The Throne Speech, which marks the opening of the new parliamentary year, is slated for April 3. An election is, therefore, possible in the week beginning April 7.
When Prime Minister Patterson said he would not postpone the elections beyond this month, he did not bank on the public response to increased taxes, the huge increases granted to MPs, and Dr. Davies putting his foot in his mouth.
Also, it has emerged in the last two weeks that the Government is paying out $95 million annually to 58 consultants, some of them former Members of Parliament attached to the PNP. Others are relatives of members of the governing party.
But, having already committed $350 million to the Electoral Office of Jamaica for the running of the election, the Government has no choice but to call it.
For Mr. Patterson to keep his word, the Government would again find itself in the unenviable position of rushing through Parliament, important pieces of legislation that must be passed before these elections are held.
This happened in the weeks before last October's General Election when amendments to the Oaths and Judicial Acts sparked a boycott of sorts from the parliamentary Opposition.
A SURPRISE MOVE
Now several key pieces of legislation relating to the upcoming elections are yet to be debated, including the Municipalities Act which is now before a select
committee.
An amendment would also be necessary to the Representation of the People Act, the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) Act, and the Parish Council Act, to allow for the roll out of equipment that will trigger a ballot, after identifying the the elector's fingerprint. This pilot will be conducted in the Mona and Papine divisions of the St. Andrew Eastern constituency.
While no protracted debate is expected in any of the above, the move by the JLP to send the Municipalities Act to committee, came as a surprise to many, who thought the Opposition was raring to go after coming so close last time out.
The Opposition has, therefore, granted the Government more time to work on its battered image, tarnished by its own actions since its general election victory.
The Government will now be forced to consider the most opportune time to call the election following its decision to introduce new taxes, pay MPs significantly more while expecting groups such as teachers to settle for single-digit increases.
But, anytime, whether it's a day, one week or one month, is likely to work in the PNP's favour, a party that has demonstrated over the last seven elections that it knows how to win, even when its back is against the wall.
Even so, sources close to the party have indicated that because of all this baggage, the Government would rather take its chances and go ahead with the election now, rather than wait until after the Budget is presented in a few weeks time.
