Who really wins when few care about voting in Jamaica?

Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won the latest local government elections according to our rules. But something interesting happened: both the JLP and the People’s National Party (PNP) said they won before the official count was done.

These days, with the internet, wrong information can spread very fast and get stuck in people’s minds. This can cause people to hold on to false beliefs, like some of former US President Donald Trump’s supporters who continue to believe things that are proven wrong.

This situation makes us think. For example, PNP President Mark Golding talked about winning and becoming the prime minister too soon without considering the extra work needed to get more people to support his party’s plans for the country. The JLP, even though they won, should think about what voters are really saying. Voters’ lack of enthusiasm at the polls, on social media, and elsewhere shows that the JLP might not be doing as great as they say.

A big issue right now is that many people in Jamaica don’t care much about voting. About 71 per cent of people who can vote didn’t vote. Over the years, fewer people have been voting. This dropped from 40 per cent in 2003 to 29 per cent in 2024. Both parties should worry about this.

People feel let down and don’t trust politics much in Jamaica. They think politicians only look out for themselves and don’t keep promises. This makes voters lose interest. Also, people feel like their vote doesn’t really matter because the political system is too stuck in its ways, especially because of the two major parties. Some recent comments from politicians from both parties have upset people, highlighting more of the issues in politics.

In the end, no party should be happy winning with so few people voting. This shows a big problem — not many people want to take part in choosing who makes decisions for the country. Both parties need to see this as a wake-up call. They should work harder to get people interested in voting again and make sure politics in Jamaica is something in which everyone wants to be involved.

The true victory is when more Jamaicans are involved in making their country better, not just a few people deciding everything.