This motorist seemingly disregards his safety and that of his passengers while participating in a political motorcade held in Junction, St.Elizabeth, last week. - Photo by Mark Titus

Mark Titus, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Despite the signing of the Joint Agreement and Declaration on Political Conduct between President of the People's National Party (PNP) Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Leader Bruce Golding, the leadership of both parties has seemingly ignored its responsibility to ensure proper behaviour by its supporters.

Buses, trucks and car loads of flag-waving, alcohol-drinking, partying supporters continue to endanger their lives by protruding their bodies from moving vehicles, while puffing on their ganja spliffs, while those with the responsibility to enforce the law are turned into mere spectators.

"It is very hard to control," Inspector Gusford Cole, sub-officer in charge of the Junction Police Station in St. Elizabeth, told The Sunday Gleaner, as an entourage from one of the major political parties drove by.

Outnumbered

"While we might detect these offences and want to do our jobs, the police officer's safety is paramount. If you are not careful, the situation can at times become confrontational," he pointed out. "As you can see for yourself, we are completely outnumbered."

However, veteran journalist and lecturer at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), Fae Ellington, believes a more proactive approach is needed.

"As far as I am concerned, the leaders of both political parties need to rein in their supporters," she said. "Seeing that so many of our people travel around to support politicians and do so with a lot of passion and are zealous, they (politicians) need to put certain things in place."

According to Ellington, who has been an unrelenting advocate for a change in how political campaigning is conducted in Jamaica, if responsible persons within both parties are identified and appointed as supervisors or monitors for these motorcades, this would make a difference.

"I would suggest that before leaving their respective constituencies, there should be somebody to pull the people together and say, 'Listen now, while we want to go and give support to our party, we are going to do so in a lawful manner. We are not going to cause accidents to happen, neither are we going to use our bodies in a way that we might be the ones getting hurt'."

Ellington is of the opinion that that the police have found themselves in an awkward and unfortunate position.

"Can you imagine six police officers trying to tame 30 bus loads of people?" she said.

"What can the police do when you have a small group of them and hundreds, sometimes, thousands, of people who are indisciplined and bent on creating mayhem?"

"We can support the party of our choice without behaving as though we are hooligans, or coming out of some primitive society. While they are exuberant and having a grand time, this should not be to the detriment of other road users or to themselves."

When contacted, Political Ombudsman, Bishop Herro Blair, told The Sunday Gleaner that when traffic offences are committed during political motorcades, it is the responsibility of the police to prosecute the offender because committing the offence supercedes the Code of Conduct.

Social norms

Deputy Leader of the JLP, Dr. Horace Chang, disclosed that while his party's standing orders speak to the issue, realistically, it is not something that is expected to change.

"A motorcade normally involves most of the inner-city youths who are urbanised and more exuberant," he said "... They will not observe some of the social norms that we expect from other classes."

When pressed for a response to the excessive drinking of alcohol and smoking of ganja, Chang responded: "It's the norm; it's illegal, but it is normal. When it comes on to political campaigning, it's like a festival ... So, you will find ganja-smoking and indisciplined practices by drivers during these times."

When contacted, a member of the PNP hierarchy was unwilling to comment on the matter.