‘Play it clean!’
Chuck appeals for civility in local government elections campaigns
AS JAMAICANS prepare to go to the polls on February 26, for the long-delayed local government elections, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck is pleading with voters and candidates to “play it clean”.
While speaking during a church service at New Beulah Moravian Church in Mandeville, Manchester, held to signal the beginning of Restorative Justice Week 2024, Chuck stressed the need for political peace in every division islandwide as the nation counts down the days candidates appeal for votes.
“The prime minister [Andrew Holness] and the leader of the Opposition [Mark Golding] have admonished all candidates to play it clean! No need to be abusing your opponent. No reason to engage in any form of destructive behaviour, and at the end of the day, may the best person win in each division,” Chuck said while delivering his address during the church service.
“In this Justice Week, I ask political candidates, but more so, church members, citizens across Jamaica, let us play our part to secure and bring peace and harmony to this lovely place we call Jamaica,” he said.
As member of parliament for North East St Andrew for the past 27 years, Chuck gave an example of how he promotes peace and non-political violence in the divisions within his constituency.
“In my area, I encourage my opponent to visit everywhere. I don’t want a garrison. I even introduced, over the last five elections, incoming opponents to their delegates, and I work with delegates from the other side, because we want a peaceful place. So, you have never heard of political violence in North East St Andrew for the last 20-odd years, because we must work together,” he said.
CAMPAIGN CIVILLY
Chuck added that, for the upcoming local government elections, Jamaicans should let their party’s opponents campaign, and do it with civility.
“That must be our Jamaica, where we can disagree and live together, and the political candidates now have an opportunity across Jamaica, to send that signal that we can disagree, but we can still live and work together,”he said.
Admitting that parliamentarians do set a bad example by sometimes behaving outrageously, especially in Gordon House, he signalled that they do not physically fight each other in the end.
“You can see how we disagree in Parliament. Sometimes too indisciplined, but unlike some parliaments, I dare say, we don’t fight. If you watch the news, you
will see in many parliaments across the world, they fight...,” Chuck said.
“Democracy is not about everybody agreeing. Democracy is about agreeing to disagree, because out of disagreement, the best can emerge. But we must disagree with civility, uprightly, with decency, without using abuses and violence to resolve the disagreement. So I extend to Jamaicans, please work out your disagreement. Don’t get into conflicts, but, if you do, we will help you with restorative justice,” he said.
Nomination Day for the local government elections is February 8.
There are 228 electoral divisions to be contested and councillors will be elected to develop, manage, and maintain infrastructure and public facilities islandwide.
Local government elections were last held in 2016, with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) taking the majority of the municipal corporations.
Since then, the elections, which are constitutionally due every four years, have been postponed on three occasions.