The Day the First Generational Curse Was Broken

I was born in Mandeville, Manchester, on the afternoon of December 16, 1998. Now my mother’s recount of my birth makes an excellent story for perseverance and strength. She recalls going into labour all by herself on the maternity ward, and it was not until she had given birth to me that the midwives came along to assist. She remembers me being quite blue due to oxygen deprivation and having red, blood-shot eyes. But I survived.

The timing of my birth bears more relevance to what I plan on discussing than the story of my birth. See 1998 is a special year for me but in the grand scheme of things, it fell into a special period. Anyone with a working knowledge of Jamaica’s political history would know that this was early days yet for the revolutionary leader Percival James (PJ) Patterson. This was 6 years into what would be his fourteen years as the longest-serving Prime Minister of Jamaica. And by extension the bulk of what Jamaicans have come to call the “18 Years of the PNP”.

I say all this to paint a vivid picture. At the time of my birth and for many years to follow, I have known Jamaica to be a country predominantly led by a People’s National Party government. So, imagine my surprise when a green wave washed over the island on September 3, 2020.

The recently concluded elections have been a political awakening for many. Many seats are still being disputed, and ballots are being recounted. Nonetheless, the significant majority that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) holds undoubtedly guarantees them the next term in office. But how did we get here? How did we move from #OrangeNation to #JamaicaGoesGreen?

The current count sees the JLP forming government with 48 seats as opposed to the PNP’s 15 seats. That is not only a victory; it is a massacre. I look at a parish like Westmoreland, die-heart PNP territory, with a count at present showing a complete sweep by the JLP. I look at St. Ann South-eastern, a PNP stronghold represented by one of Jamaica’s favourite personalities, Lisa Hanna, currently in limbo. Has the JLP done something right or is the PNP doing something wrong? Well, it is a lot of both.

Many people attribute this massive loss suffered by the PNP to the deep division within the party. After a heated leadership race last year between Peter Bunting and Peter Phillips many believe the PNP have yet to repair the damage caused and heal from those wounds. This has caused them to fail at inspiring much confidence in even their base supporters.

But many people will say Andrew Holness’ youthful image and much more united JLP were just the better the choice, the only option really. It is evident that the public relations and social media strategy of JLP has received much more thought and has been more effectively executed than the PNP’s weaker and quite late arrival to the game. Commentators have also credited the timing of the election to have worked in favour of the JLP.

Regardless of whatever reasons you believe have led to this moment, one thing is standing out to me. To some extent, it might be true that this is a rejection of the PNP and their 18-years in power. However, more than that, I am observing an uprising of a new generation of voters. Voters that make demands of their government and hold their leaders accountable to good governance and fulfilling promises. Albeit slow, I see a move away from partisan politics and the embracing of a fair and balanced approach to electing a government. Because it matters not the political affiliation of your family or community. It matters what political parties bring to the table in service of the people and which has a better plan for achieving growth and prosperity for all.

And this makes me excited for not only a future of a more informed electorate but a future of a better Jamaica. Therefore, when I sit at my dinner table, be it 10 or 20 years from today and I share with my family stories from the good old days – I’ll recall Thursday, September 3, 2020, as the day the first generational curse was broken.