November 6, 2017
On October 30, 2017, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) sealed victory in the St. Mary South Eastern by-election with a 900+ margin – it was indeed a #DunnDeal when Dr. Norman Dunn of the JLP defeated Dr. Shane Alexis of the People’s National Party (PNP). Since then much of the political commentary I have seen has been directed at understanding what the PNP got wrong.
I am disappointed with that narrative and with the few political analysts we seem to have in this country. What I would’ve liked, was some critical political commentary on the JLP’s win. It is my view that there must be several lessons for us to learn about what the JLP did right, to turn a one-seat majority in parliament into a three-seat majority as a result of winning the one seat the PNP lost. Before the by-election, the JLP had 32 seats in parliament and the PNP had 31. The PNP lost one seat, which means they now have 30 seats in parliament, and the JLP, by winning that seat which the PNP lost, now has 33 seats in parliament.
I don’t hear our political analysts talking about what this new majority could mean for governance. I don’t hear our political analysts talking about what this victory could mean for how the JLP as party and government is perceived. I don’t hear our political analysts talking about what this victory could mean for the next general elections, which could take place 2020 thereabout. But I suspect that’s asking too much, after all, we are a nation that seems to dwell longer on ‘bad news’ so we must focus on the PNP’s loss.
But. There is nothing new to learn about the PNP’s loss, in my opinion. They are losing for the same reasons they have been losing for the past couple years, PLUS the JLP is winning and winning differently with multiple cohesive and intersectional strategies. The JLP is emerging as a pragmatic-thinking and strategic-acting institution. But what the analysis is not exploring that, we are not talking about it much.
I would really like to hear about how the JLP is re-organising itself as a party, incrementally reducing voter apathy and political participation, and creating and controlling political narratives at the micro, meso, and macro levels of politics and governance.
Perhaps I need to plan a ‘grounding’ with one or two political analysts who can offer much needed insight into the political and governance shifts we are experiencing. I would like them to explore the idea that there is a new, emerging political culture that requires a different kind of political organizing in a digitally dominant age with over 55% Internet penetration in Jamaica. And that the JLP seems to understand, and in some cases control the shifts that we are experiencing.
Latoya Nugent 
Thoughts?