Hear I Rant Jamaica

Recycling through the trash

 

 

The year where the world is predicted to come to a crashing end, is about to begin.  Perhaps absolutely fitting for not only this column, but for the political happenings of both Jamaica and the United States.

Jamaicans, as I write this, are having their vote, and one cannot help the futility of doing nothing but re-cycling thru the trash.   Our political system might not be broken, but our politicians certainly are.

Choosing between Portia Simpson Miller and Andrew Holness, between the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Peoples National Party (PNP) is nothing but an exercise in futility.  Neither is capable of fixing Jamaica’s problems.  The PNP is still mired in a set way of doing things, no matter how often failure.  Leadership still continues to be the issue as well… but it needs to be understood that no matter who stands of the helm of the PNP, or the JLP for that matter, the problems are still way above their pay grade.

Andrew Holness’ attempt to show he is new and different hasn’t even gotten off the ground, so failed is that attempt.  Holness still a part of the old guard of the JLP.  He inherited from Golding and is a protégé of Seaga.  How much more old guard can you get?

Bruce Golding most likely finished the JLP by his attempt to bluff his way into another term.  If he had resigned immediately after the ‘Dudus’ debacle, the JLP would have stood a chance.  But he hung around like dead weight and he lost the JLP this election… and it is quite likely that he tainted Holness for ever, Hugh Shearer redux.

The only solution I see for Jamaica is a coalition of political parties and civil society.  Though that is really a dream… because politicians never let go of power… it is the only hope.  The Jamaican fabric is torn in two or more pieces… each party holding on to a bit. That tear, means we can never recover if any party tries on its own to run the country.

Its not that the solution lies in the combination of the two, but it would be better to work on one fabric together than on two separate fabrics.  That way everyone can at least see what needs to be done.

It seems to me that all the major players in Jamaica have already given up on the country, and are content not only to wait for the patient to die to enrich themselves with ‘what-left’, they are actively killing the patient to that much quicker get to the carcass.  The church, the business community, the general media, the banking sector, the politicians… none of them any longer see Jamaica has viable.  And that is bad for the Jamaican people.

I don’t know how much longer we can continue swapping dog for monkey but that is what we do at every election… cycle through very limited options.  The parties, the candidates are interchangeable, because they are all incompetent.

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It is much the same with the republican candidates for the 2012 presidential election.   Never has there been a bunch as morally, ideologically, and politically corrupt as these money-scroungers.  This is a game for most of them… a game to enrich themselves by boosting their name recognition and then parlaying that later into tv reality shows and speaking engagements.   Does anyone really believe that Herman Cain had a chance at becoming president of the United States?  That the republican party would have allowed another black man to be president which would have been automatic if it was Obama vs Cain?

Did anyone really believe that Trump wanted the presidency?  Trump’s move was so blatantly obvious, I’m saddened but not surprised that the press even gave him the time of the day.  He’s a political fruitcake but someone who knows how stupidity of the American voter and how the media turns that into dollars for themselves.

Does anyone really believe that Bachmann, Santorum, Perry, Paul, Gingrich has even the faintest of chances to win the presidency? And all that is happening now is a staged recycling of each candidate… a new bland flavour of the week. All are fringe candidates looking for retirement riches… and each are put up as the new saviour only to be inevitably knocked down in a week.

Romney is going to win the republican nomination and unless really crappy events happen in 2012, Obama is going to get a second term.  Romney won’t be able to challenge Obama because Romney isn’t well liked amongst the republican electorate for thousands of reasons.  And Americans don’t vote with common sense.  Just one little flaw in their candidate amongst all the strengths… and out he goes.

All we are seeing is a circus and that circus has most likely irrevocably damaged the republican credibility.

But you know what. All this might have been pre-planned by both parties as I forecast some time ago, in order to kill the republican threat within… the tea party.  Obama’s re-election is virtually assured.

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Have you heard about priests fighting each other over territory inside a church recently?  Nothing better to illustrate 2011, and to welcome in the year of the ‘end of the world’.   Wooohaaaaaahh.

About the author

hearirant

Writer, photographer, artist. Have been doing all three for some time. More about myself and my art can be found at http://www.louisdavisart.com, and http://www.broward.org/arts/publications/cq/2008/winter08/cq_winter08.htm

1 Comment

  • Uh, uh, Iguess I’m in trouble on the golf course when I come down. Maybe I’ll find a controvertial subject to argue about and throw you off your game. He he he…Billy G.