Anti-corruption group calls for election boycott

Lloyd D'Aguilar, chairman of the Peoples Anti-Corruption Movement, has called for a boycott from voters the next time Jamaicans are called to the polls.

At a meeting held yesterday under the theme 'Change Must Come', several speakers expressed deep concerns over what they perceive as rampant corruption within both local and central government. With data indicating an expected low voter turnout of 29.6 per cent in the recent local government elections, D'Aguilar opined that the electorate's disillusionment will only deepen. He urged citizens not only to abstain from voting, but also to vocally reject the prevailing corruption embedded within the political framework.

D'Aguilar asserted that the lack of genuine engagement between elected representatives and the populace has fostered an environment where corruption thrives unchecked. He contended that conventional approaches, such as constitutional reforms, are insufficient to combat systemic corruption effectively. At the meeting, the group called for various things, including a people's commission of enquiry into state corruption.

"A little bit down the road, when dem call general elections, we are hoping that we will be organised enough to go out there and say boycott the election because it doesn't mean nothing. We need people self-government, community self-government [and] we need direct democracy," he said.

"Don't just not vote, but say we are not voting because we don't support corruption, we don't support JLP nor PNP because they are different wings of the same bird," he continued.

Zahra Burton, executive producer of news programme 188 North, stressed the importance of citizen involvement in decision-making processes. She highlighted the efficacy of public outcry in holding officials accountable, citing instances where governmental responses were influenced by public pressure.

"What I have found is that when people rise up, when people do things in response to different findings and actually hold people to account, that behaviour improves," she said. She noted last year's announcement of salary increases for some political representatives, including members of parliament (MPs) was met with heavy criticism and disapproval.

"It may not have resulted in all the MPs rolling back their salaries but we got one person who is the prime minister saying he would forgo his increase. There have been other cases as well and the government has had to switch positions," she said, emphasising the need for sustained activism.