The skirmishes so far on the election campaign trail, mercifully, have been few and there have been no fatalities or reports of serious reports of injury, except for the incident in Woodford Park where four JLP supporters were shot and wounded. Tempers have been kept in relative check, but we're not in the real woods yet much less out of it, and so the call must go out for continued vigilance to keep the peace.

Against this background, we point to a document titled "Agreement and Declaration of Political Conduct" which was presented to parliamentarians at Gordon House in September of 2005. How many of our politicians on the hustings recall a highly emotive gathering in Emancipation Park in May of 2005 headed by leaders of the private sector and top echelons of the government, as well as a range of organisations representing civil society and a wide cross-section of the general public?

The gathering came together at the urging of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, during the presidency of Mrs. Beverley Lopez, to consider the state of the nation in the face of escalating crime and violence and to make their views known to the government of the day.

Suggestions and recommendations from the event were brought together into a so-called 'Declaration of Emancipation Park,' which later evolved into the 'Agreement and Declaration of Political Conduct,' to be signed with due fanfare, by the leaders of our two major political parties - Mr. P.J. Patterson, Prime Minister and president of the PNP at that time and Mr. Bruce Golding, leader of the JLP. The chairmen and general secretaries of both parties also affixed their signatures. That was almost two years ago, but what effect has it had on political conduct?

A review of the contents is a reminder that the various subject areas which it contains are as important today as when they were formulated. As the current political campaign churns its way across the land, with hordes of party adherents following in the wake of their leaders, the atmosphere can become volatile, especially in the light of our traditional penchant to take our politics so seriously that irrational behaviour overwhelms common sense.

Some of the squabbles which have made the news so far, from billboard defacement to accusations of 'dissing,' by one side of another, may well have been avoided if overheated political followers had been made to realise that their leaders had given their word that they would not tolerate acts of violence and intimidation as part of electioneering.

As paragraph 6 in the joint agreement states, leaders agreed to "recognise and respect the rights of each party, its members and supporters, to express and demonstrate their political views and to conduct lawful, non-violent activities in support of their objectives." This is binding on everyone, from the highest to the lowest in party hierarchy.

Leader and led alike must wake up to their responsibility, not just for today but for the future of the entire nation. There is a range of responsibilities and obligations articulated within the Agreement and Declaration of Political Conduct. We would do well to revisit them and more importantly, act upon them.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.