Election Day

December 29th was the national election day here in Jamaica. It might be of interest to you to hear of the differences between the government system here and in the US, as well as be given a brief rundown of the political system. However, out of fear of giving inaccurate information, we’ll give you just a few facts we’re sure of:

-Having been colonized by the British, it should come as no surprise that Jamaica has a parliamentary system in which there is a Prime Minister instead of a President, and Members of Parliament (MPs) instead of congressmen.

-There currently exists 2 main political parties in Jamaica: the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP).

-Jamaicans are CRAZY about politics, especially during elections:
-The party you support is part of your identity.
-JLP supporters adorn themselves in bright green, whereas PNP supporters are covered in orange. JLP supporters make the 'peace' sign with their hand, whereas PNP supporters make fists.
-Orange and green colored paraphernalia can be found all over during elections. Party songs are played endlessly on the radio, and every Jamaican TV station (by ‘every’ we mean ‘both’) covers the political situation.
-The best comparison we can make is that of avid sports fans in the US.
-On election day, the roads and streets of the island are full of people yelling, dancing, ringing bells, blowing horns, loud music, dancing, and are just straight up LOUD -both audibly and visually. Even in our small, rural community out in the boonies, the amount of commotion going on past Thursday was the most we’ve ever seen outside of Jan 6 Celebration.
-Things can get a little dicey during these times. In fact, PCJ prohibited us from traveling on election day, and we’ve been asked to refrain from wearing any green or orange for the past month. As we’ve said before, Jamaica can be a very aggressive and sometimes violent place. Locals can get really hot over issues they feel passionate about, and they’re not afraid to voice what they feel.
-That being said, the amount of arguing going on lately has been at a maximum. Now, people cussing each other out in public is by no means an uncommon occurrence here. Nor is it strange to hear distant yelling from our veranda as we sway in the hammock at night. But when we were awoken at 7am yesterday morning by heated arguments that carried on past 8, only to be followed by constant yelling as we worked in the library soon after, and of course this was concluded by walking through quarrels on our way back home…we’re tired –in more ways than one.

a VERY unusual sight