The Editor, Sir:

Edward Seaga's 'Campaign strategy and voting preference' article (Sunday Gleaner, 15 July 2007) provides valuable insight and 'food for thought'.

The fact that we are an oral rather than a literary society is undisputed. 'Labrish-ing' has now reached unprecedented levels, particularly with the clever use of the Internet - blogs, YouTube, email forwards, etc. This electronic mode of communication is especially appealing to an impressionable percentage of the voter population, who have experienced only one political party at the helm of leadership in their short lifetimes.

Like Mr. Seaga, there are many listeners of our music who either ignore or simply do not understand the lyrics. While living in Sudan, I can still recall going to my first party there and as we approached the 'session', a sound system in this predominantly Islamic nation was belting out what many upper to upper-middle class Jamaicans would describe with disdain as 'slackness', perhaps in their eyes, rightfully so.

Trite, however, may be an inappropriate description of our musicians' lyrics. If we listen carefully, we may be surprised at what we hear and learn. In stark contrast to what I witnessed in Sudan, I can still remember watching Beenie Man perform in Holland and bringing an audience to a complete standstill when he sang: "can yuh imagine how it feel fi work inna ah restaurant dat yuh cyan afford fi eat inna, can yuh imagine now it feel fi work inna one hospital weh yuh cyan afford fi get sick inna." These lyrics echo the first person story of the vast majority of our eligible voting society.

Perhaps the reason that music and slogans serve as an effective means of transmitting any message in today's world is a direct result of information overload. From books to magazines to newspapers to the posted mail to email to BlackBerrys to SMSs to television, we are bombarded with so much information, that we simply do not have the time to sift through it all, while still holding down a job or two, feeding a child or three and the like. Even literate people want to receive a message as effectively and concisely as possible. Communication experts know this, hence their clever use of music, slogans and the Internet as a platform to reach the masses.

Jamaica class structure

The class structure of Jamaica, deeply rooted in our colonial past, continues to wreak havoc with any viable possibilities for our future. The 'haves and the have-nots' exist because there is one class that is exploiting the other. It does not exist solely on account of a government's 'do's and don'ts.' Bastardisation is so entrenched in slavery mentality that I shudder at the trauma we continue to suffer, given that there is even need to make reference to [it] in the year 2007.

Access and right to education must prevail if there is to be any semblance of true democracy in any society. However, there is more to democracy than solely education. As our very own Marley once said, "if I were educated, I would be a [damn] fool." Democracy can only exist in an environment that provides basic human needs to all - education, health, housing, water, food, shelter and clothing.

Any society that is as dissected along class lines as Jamaica is, cannot give rise to democracy. At the root of any caste/class system is exclusion, which is contrary to the ideals of democracy. Rather than continuing to reinforce this class dynamic, we need to be focusing our efforts and energies on how to sustain the virtually eroded middle to lower-middle working sector that forms the backbone of any meaningful nation.

Jamaica faces far more complex and deeply rooted issues than 'slogans and catch phrases' that need to be urgently addressed if we intend to not fall prey to what occurs in any country where one party has been in power for an extended period of time, due to the perception of a lack of any viable opposition. We cannot continue to 'keep up the same argument' and expect our situation to change. Real change is born through present possibilities, not past histories.

I am, etc.,

NADINE McNEIL

UNICEF Indonesia

nadine.mcneil@gmail.com

Via Go-Jamaica