Politics, Jamaica and Neutrality

The calendar year 2020 has been rather challenging to say the least. The world has literally come to a crawl. The repercussions of this global pandemic and recession are being felt across all continents, borders, race, religions, and any other indicator you can think of. Recently, a colleague and I had a discussion regarding politics. He is a Jehovah's Witness. The discussion emerged from my statement; all human beings are political beings. We are all born into a family through which political socialization occurs. This is true even if we are adopted. Every society is politically divided, some more than others. We choose political sides consciously or unconsciously. The fact that an individual chooses not to vote does not mean that he/she is apolitical. The idea of someone being apolitical is theory based and has no place in the real world. Those of us who attended the University of the West Indies and did the course: Introduction to Political Institutions (GT12A) will remember Professor Trevor Munroe. He taught the course and was also the author of the main text: An Introduction to Politics: Lectures for First Year Students. Professor Munroe in his book states, “this process of political upbringing, in which your views are being formed, is not a conscious one; it is happening to you and around you, without you being aware of it. We have a concept of fair treatment and justice, we have a concept of rejecting violence, we have a concept of fair democratic elections.” The Introduction to Political Institution was a compulsory course for students of International Relations. It was a popular course back in the day and many students from the Faculty of Arts and General Studies signed up and did it. The lectures were held in the Social Sciences Lecture Theatre (SSLT) and there were tutorials which had fewer students. Professor Munroe adds, “It is also this upbringing that made us believe that politics is corrupt, dirty and prone to violence. This political upbringing is what we refer to when we speak of political socialization.” Every Jamaican can speak about this political socialization. We cannot escape politics in Jamaica. Politics is in our homes, in our schools, churches, the business community, neighbourhoods. Politics is all encompassing! Many Jamaicans over the years have been turned off from the type of politics we have in Jamaica. It is rather divisive and can be deadly. There is a growing sense of apathy in politics and a significant number of Jamaicans do not participate in the political process. However, by not voting you are still participating in the political process. By not voting you have given away your vote for someone to vote on your behalf.  My colleague is adamant that members of his religious faith are politically neutral.  We are all entitled to our opinions; some of us are in denial as well. Politics in Jamaica, like most parts of the world is inescapable. I suspect politics is a popular topic in community bars and this discourse can become heated at times. Munroe further explains, “there are a range of channels through our political personalities are formed. First we distinguish between primary and secondary agents of political institutions. The primary agents are characterized by their informal or unstructured nature. The family or the household unit is probably the most universal agent of political socialization.” The Professor added, “a second example is the peer group. The secondary agents are more formal, more structured and organized. Examples of these are: the political parties, the mass media, the educational system and the religious institutions. The churches at various times do have an important role in passing on and encouraging certain values among people.” Professor Munroe concludes, “there are two different methods by which these agencies affect us. The direct method of political socialization is the method whereby, without any disguise, one receives political learning. The approach is direct and explicit; for example, the family situation where parents require that the children share their political views. The indirect approach is one where the attitudes being formed are only indirectly related to politics and are directly political. For example, in a school or workplace there is some form of authority.” Sadly, many pastors have used the pulpit to preach politics; perhaps it is not as common now as a few years ago. The classrooms as well, especially at the tertiary level have been used as political platforms. Politics is all around us unless you live under a rock in the ocean, otherwise there is no escape. One cannot totally divorce oneself from politics.  The fact is we all practice and experience politics differently. There are those in the society who call the talk shows daily in support of the political party of their choice. Politics in Jamaica is fierce, it is bread and butter. This fierceness is magnified due to the First Past the Post Electoral System in which the political party which wins the most seats in Parliament forms the government.  Politics has to do with our interactions with each other. We are often misled that politics is only at the level of the political parties. My colleague disagrees, “we are prone to be impacted but it does not mean we cannot resist or escape.” No sir, we cannot escape, not in the real world, perhaps in a virtual world we can indeed resist and escape. Some of us are more heavily invested in politics than others. Some of us are born into families with political history and as such the expectations are greater. There are those who are entrenched in the politics, who walk the trenches canvassing for their party. We have the die-hard supporters who regardless of what the party does will not leave nor forsake them. These individuals have blind loyalty to a party. Jamaicans do not vote on causes we vote because we are socialized to support a political party. We have seen a disturbing trend in recent elections over the last three cycles in 2007, 2011 and 2016 as more and more Jamaicans have opted not to vote. This is not good for democracy. Its highly likely that we can end up with a minority government. Imagine a situation where 60 percent of those eligible to vote stay home. Yes, do the mathematics, only 40 percent would have elected a government. It is our right to participate in the politics of the land. There was a time when our forefathers did not have a vote. Many fought and died so that we can have Universal Adult Suffrage and a voice in the political process.          
In the words of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, government is not infallible. Government is only an executive control, a centralized authority for the purpose of expressing the will of the people; before you have a government you must have the people.
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
©  
#Jamaica #religion #politics #socialization #JehovahWitness #culture