Shame On You, Andrew.... [IMO]

Image from The Gleaner

Politics has always been one of the areas I very rarely want to speak on.Quite honestly it is not something I take much interest in or care much about  (yes, shame on me) and, unlike too many people out there, I don’t like to speak on things which I believe I am under-informed about. But hey, this blog is titled "Train of Thought" and if I'm thinking it maybe I shouldn't be too afraid of saying it : shame on you Andrew.

The big discussion over the last two weeks or so has been on the JUTC fare hike that has already come into effect. This change, as expected, has had people riling up about the “un-fare-ness” of it’s implications on the poor people of our country that rely on the service. Yes, again,poor people fed-up.

My initial personal reaction to the news was, “What’s the big surprise?” Ever since school days, I've come to expect it as the norm that yearly - or so it would seem- fare would hike on, or just before, the first week of school. Then my next thought would be, “What’s the hullabaloo?”. A co-worker, thankfully, informed me that its a lot bigger of a deal than I would think. For some people who make minimum wage, by the time they’re done paying fare for the service to get to and from work, they’re left with barely anything or nothing to take care of themselves and their homes. I like it when people put things into perspective for me.

My only concern was for the impact on the seniors and children : I've always had a soft spot for those, like them and the disabled, who have limited ability for taking care of themselves.What does it mean for these people when they’re taking trips to the clinic with naught but a “bag juice money”.

With all of the above in mind, why then am I crying shame on Andrew? Because I see what you’re doing, Andrew, and for a few reasons in particular it puts me off.

Yes, let us rally the people, head to the streets and protest this unfair hike in the bus fare. The government is not thinking of the poor people of this country, their actions are inconsiderate. Nationwide protest!

All this politicking and this championing of poor people leaves me with a taste of "disingenuous" in my mouth, especially when I get the feeling it’s in  the name of getting political momentum and popularity by, quite simply, appealing to poor the masses.

While “politically” it’s a good move with a good cause, kudos to you for that Mr. Opposition, I believe, at the end of the day, what I call “surface politics” does very little if any good for the people of Jamaica. Appealing to Jamaicans’ emotions and engaging on a surface level when it comes to their problems, while it might afford you power, doesn't afford you solutions to their real and underlying problems. It also helps to perpetuate their toxically naive notions of our state of affairs and simplistic expectations of the government. It’s not so simple as keeping the fares down. Hmmm... or maybe your protest was about more than just fares?

Clovis toon from the observer

To go back to the discussion with my co-worker about this JUTC fiasco, permit me to paraphrase a point she made (I'm not certain of the extent of its truth but I never claimed to be most aware) :

“Dem a talk bout cost fi upkeep di bus dem. But dem a ship out bus fi repair. Wah mek dem nuh fly in people fi do di repairs here or train people here fi do it? And wheneva dem a ship in parts di ppl dem a tek it sell it off fi put money inna dem pockets.”

Now I know nothing about her first point made, but on the second one we both agreed that if such was the case then the JUTC needs to be audited. This, of course, is one of the things the opposition is also calling for. But is it still that simple? Would this alone be enough to solve the problem.

Can audits and  tightening up really save the supposed $10 million dollar per day bleeding in the company? Even as a layman with no business acumen I was shocked to find out that in 2009 the recommended fare on the buses to sustain operations for was $131 for adults but at the time what adults were actually paying was $50. I couldn't understand how anyone could see this as feasible or sustainable. And they've been keeping the fare below that for six years even with rising cost of everything else, such as the gasoline, and the sliding dollar ?

The way I see it, the kind of politics that Andrew is now drawing for, is low. It’s not the kind of politics that grounds people in the reality of the situation. It’s not the kind of politics that attacks the bigger underlying issues that are affecting the country. I don’t think I need to iterate how much Jamaica continually fights symptoms while failing to cure any disease. The problem with the fare hike is a small part of a larger complex of a country failing to sustain itself and promote development. And I'm not sure to what end these protest can get us.

It’s the kind of politic, Holness, that might get you popularity but in the long run will come back to bite you in the @$$ when if you do win the next election and” Mama P” is once again in her fitting role as champion for the poor and kisser of babies (She can still play it much better than you Andrew). It will come back to bite you, if you can secure another election, when you have to make tough decisions for the long term benefit of the people and Mama is down there weeping with them at the “injustice”.(By the way, where is Mama P in all this???)

I believe for any form of growth in our country then there needs to be some form of cultural shift, a shift in the attitudes and outlook of our people. That alone is terribly difficult enough with there being no shift to better politics.

The politics I want to see has an opposition not only mobilizing for protests in the name of change (*coughs* and gaining relevance and visibility and popularity in the political landscape) but also mobilizing for change and the betterment of our people in different ways. An opposition that maybe sets an example by using whatever resources it has to do something, ANYTHING, that (*ahem* feasibly and sustainably) contributes to the development of our nation. You may not have the reigns but surely you might be able to lead oppose by example: Less talk, more constructive action.

Maybe the opposition can work more closely with, or start up, nonprofits and programs that are making a difference where we,as a country, have deficiencies. Get innovative. How can you as a party mobilize for assisting with joblessness, education,poverty that doesn't involve just making noise? And then when you've figured it out, put that in the media. The media prefers protest you say? I see you on my Facebook Mr. Holness, I know you know how to put yourself out there. Just make the message more than what we want to hear. Make it what we need to hear. Make it edifying.

Or maybe It’s just a naive dream of mine and a party not in power really doesn't have the resources or wherewithal to effect any substantial positive impact or change in such a manner. Or maybe you do do these things but I just don't know it.

I'm interested to know if I'm the only one who sees this protest only as the beginning of a roll out of a political strategy. I'm not one to follow politics, but if the first news on Andrew that manages to find me, in the seclusion and unawareness that is my life, is a protest on bus fare hikes and injustice to poor people, then I can't help but think this is simply a political move, especially given the full reality of the situation.

Maybe the end justifies the means. Maybe gaining leverage and momentum at the cost of feeding into the emotions of a hurt and hungry population instead of appropriately feeding into their understanding of, and attitudes towards,  their our situation will pay off when one get’s into power and start doing wonderful things for the country. Or is that just the cycle?

Maybe I should call it “hungry politics”.

But I wasn't even at the protest, maybe there was more good in it than I see.

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Please leave your comments, guys. As I said, I like when people put things into different perspectives for me. But as it stands now, the above is mine and simply IMO...