THE EDITOR, Sir:
IT IS less than three and one half years since the last general election and already there is talk about the next general election. Whatever happened to the "five-year term"?
The focus of any Jamaican government ought not be on strategies to enhance its longevity in office, but on the overall advancement of the country. Having power is obviously important, but when that power is derived from the people, then they (all Jamaicans) must be the centrepiece in everything that the government does.
If the distraction of elections is already on the horizon, then maybe there is some merit in copying the American system in which the dates of elections are essentially fixed, not subject to the pleasure of incumbents. In this way, each government can then get on with the serious business of running the country in the best possible way, and this should be its only motivation towards securing another term in office.
Wasting time preparing for elections when no date has been fixed is not in the best interest of the country. In yesteryear this may have been the way to go but certainly we must not cling desperately to tradition if better alternatives exist. To simply defer to tradition is not necessarily wise.
Currently, this foolishness of political gamesmanship with respect to fixing an election date serves no purpose other than to give the government an advance notice. The people are the ones who will determine which party forms the next government.
I am, etc.,
WINSTON L. STEWART, P.E.
E-mail: messengjah@msn.com
230 Lafayette Avenue
Cortlandt Manor, New York
Via Go-Jamaica
