The real election contest: hyperbole, hope, or hard reality”

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The Gleaner’s ‘Ready for Sprint’”– August 19, offers more than a snapshot of electoral manoeuvring; it reveals the psychological theatre of politics at a moment when Jamaica is poised to decide its direction on September 3. Elections, after all, are never simply about numbers on a pollster’s sheet, they are about mood, momentum, and the credibility of leadership.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, with striking confidence, has dismissed talk of opposition momentum as mere “hyperbole”. Such a posture is not arrogance; it is strategy. By projecting certainty, he seeks to steady the nerves of the undecided, to remind the electorate that continuity offers stability in an era of uncertainty. The question for voters is not whether the prime minister believes he is ahead, but whether Jamaicans themselves believe that stability has translated into tangible progress in their own lives.

Here lies the paradox. On one hand, we hear of internal polls and confident declarations; on the other, we meet citizens such as Denise in Morant Bay, who admits she scarcely knows the candidates and questions whether her vote matters at all. This disconnect is not unique to Jamaica; it is the global crisis of modern democracies where bread and butter realities often overshadow the grand narratives of governance.

Yet leadership is often tested most severely in such climates of fatigue. The sprint to the finish is not merely a dash for votes but a test of who can capture imagination, who can convince an electorate that progress is not only possible but already underway. In that sense, Mr Holness’s composure may resonate more deeply than it appears at first glance.

As Jamaicans prepare to cast their ballots, it would be a mistake to view this election as routine. It is, rather, a referendum on confidence in ourselves, in the nation’s future, and in whether continuity or disruption best serves that future. Leadership in times such as these requires not just policy, but poise. And sometimes poise itself persuades.

CIVANNA COTTERELL