There’s a peculiar ritual in Jamaican politics: romanticising the very hands that built the cages we now rage against.
From the hills of St. Mary to the deep urban grooves of Spanish Town, voters remain fiercely loyal to figures who gave them slogans instead of services. Infrastructure is crumbling, but memories of past party rallies remain oddly pristine. Ask why a road hasn’t been fixed in 25 years and the answer might reference a dancehall tune or a former MP’s charisma—not project logs, budgets, or broken promises.
It’s a national habit: we vote with our hearts and protest with our eyes closed. And the result? Whole constituencies still operate like outposts from another era. Water comes by truck, if at all. Clinics are decorative. Streetlights work only when the moon doesn’t.
And yet, when a new representative—often from the opposing party—enters office, they’re expected to perform miracles. Immediate. Seamless. Flawless. As though governance is a reset button, not a relay baton.
Worse, this expectation often comes with hostility. New MPs face resistance not just from bureaucracy, but from constituents fiercely protective of the very legacy that left them underserved. That’s not just counterproductive—it’s absurd.
A nation cannot move forward while chained to sentimental myths. Development is not a campaign jingle; it’s engineering, budgeting, policy, and time. If your community has seen three decades of underperformance, it’s time to ask hard questions—without party-colored lenses.
Let’s abandon the fairy tale. Political parties aren’t families. MPs are not lifelong godsends. They are employees. And if someone’s résumé includes 30 years of neglect, water crises, or stagnant youth programs, their name belongs in the accountability ledger—not in nostalgic conversation.
The way forward isn’t blind allegiance or recycled outrage. It’s performance-based politics. Track records. Deliverables. Timelines. Real metrics.
Until we break the emotional contract with our political past, we will keep paying a steep price in missed opportunities and misdirected blame.
