THE PRIME Minister, Mr. Patterson, and the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Seaga, have committed themselves to ensuring that the general election, which will be held this year, will be the most peaceful in the history of the country.It is an assurance that is most welcome.
There have been fears that the undeclared election campaign was partly responsible for the record number of citizens who lost their lives through violence last year and for the alarming number of deaths since the start of the New Year.
Both political leaders were reported to be optimistic that the talks last Friday would produce a favourable outcome. There must be very few persons who believe that the leadership is responsible for the violence that mars the political process. Rather it is a product of the politics of patronage where so much of what happens to an individual is dependent on the political fortunes of the party that he or she supports. The challenge therefore is to transmit the commitments the two political leaders to the rank and file in the political process.
Of particular significance is that both Mr. Patterson and Mr. Seaga have given their support to most of the recommendations made by the National Committee on Crime and Violence. This Committee was formed following a meeting between the two political leaders in August last year, which was brokered by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ).
Accepting and moving to implement those recommendations have taken an inordinately long time, given the urgency. Both leaders have also agreed to revive the post of Political Ombudsman and to revise the code of political conduct that is monitored by that office.
We can but hope that the meeting, the degree of agreement on critical issues and the subsequent implementation of what has been agreed will help to make this the most peaceful election in the country's modern history.
