Kristen Gyles | Will an independent candidate ever get to parliament?

“There is no such thing as vote buying. Politicians provide tangible encouragement to their supporters.”

So said one fellow in the aftermath of the 2020 general elections when it was reported that Peter Shand, one of the independent candidates seeking election, had raised allegations of vote buying. Mr Shand ran in the St Ann North Western constituency and is purported to have alleged that the practice of vote buying had affected election results. He received 790 votes, and his two opponents, Krystal Lee and Dayton Campbell, received 7,846 and 5,740 votes respectively.

Although Mr Shand may have felt that he failed on his quest to make it to parliament, he appears to have been the most successful independent candidate who ran in the 2020 general elections, having got all of 5.41 per cent of votes in his constituency. For context, independent candidates usually do not do well. For example, Astor Black contested the seat for St. James Central and got only 23 votes out of the 10,127 valid votes that were cast. Haile Mika’el contested the seat for Westmoreland Eastern and got 36 votes out of 9,749 valid votes. Toraino Beckford and Don Foote both contested the seat for Westmoreland Central and got 29 and 23 votes respectively out of 15,817. These are not exceptions. History shows that Jamaicans do not give much support to independent candidates. Although this is somewhat unfortunate, it is not without reason.

HIGHLY ACTIVE

Jamaica has a highly active political landscape. Even among those who do not vote, many find it easy to express preference, if not outright allegiance to one of the two main political parties. Both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) were main characters in the movie of Jamaica’s independence. Both parties were birthed out of post-slavery experiences that helped to shape Jamaica’s identity as an independent nation. These two parties therefore hold sway over the minds of Jamaican voters, and particularly those who were alive during or shortly after Jamaica’s Independence.

Many of these Jamaicans can’t see a third party leading the country and they cannot countenance the thought of a non-affiliated member of parliament. It is too strange. Their minds can only perceive shades of orange and green and nothing in between, and as a result, not much consideration is given to the fact that it is not allegiance to a political party that makes a politician either committed or capable.

But there are some valid concerns about the election of independent candidates. Jamaicans know that should an independent candidate jump the hurdle of winning a seat in the general election and actually make their way into parliament, they will only get crowded out. Laws are passed, not by one individual, but by parliament as a majority. Unless an independent candidate somehow manages to canvass the support of the party-loyal MPs who surround them in parliament, they will never have any legislative influence. And that’s a next-to-impossible job. The culture within the Jamaican parliament is that parliamentarians vote in accordance with the position of their respective parties. An independent candidate therefore has no support to get except the collateral support he or she might get by virtue of shared opinion.

INSULT TO INJURY

To add insult to injury, if they are being fought out by party loyalists in parliament, how effective will their representation really be? Will they get the appropriate resources needed to address the needs of their constituents? Or will those constituents languish on account of political sabotage?

Another thing to consider is that, legislatively, an independent candidate will have to seriously exert him or herself to get beyond the glaring lack of constitutional regard for their very existence. The Constitution assumes that there will be two main parties. This is why the Senate, for example, has only members appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister and members appointed on the advice of the Opposition Leader (and not Opposition Leaders).

In the same way that parliament has two sides which are shared between a government and an opposition, the minds of many Jamaicans are similarly divided. From a psychological standpoint though, it is probably not just the mere existence of two prominent political parties that makes many reluctant to embrace independent candidates. It is also the fact that many voters are looking to vote for a demonstrated leader. Unless the candidate has a host of followers fanning their flame and singing their praises, the average Jamaican will find it difficult to develop any true sense of confidence in the candidate. Jamaican voters are most likely to see value in candidates who are valued. Typical ‘falla fashin’ story.

And last for now, we go back to where we started. An independent candidate can’t buy votes at $5,000 a piece - but political parties can. Political parties get funding from institutions and private donors across the country. They’re also strong in numbers and wherever there are numbers, it is easy to pull together resources to do all kinds of things - including “providing tangible encouragement” to supporters. Independent candidates have to seek success through honest and virtuous means. Political parties might not have to.

Then again, was politics ever a game of fairness?

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com