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The election results on December 29 took many people by surprise. They left many people in a state of shock, disbelief and stupor. I have taken some time to do a psychological analysis of the factors contributing to the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP's) loss and the vindication of Portia Simpson Miller. Ponder these factors:
1. The JLP was off message: They failed to focus on their achievements over the past four years and to create hope for the future. Instead they focused on attacking Portia Simpson Miller and also focused on other issues, such as homosexuality, which were clearly not critical to the electorate.
2. Attacking the media is political suicide. Never attack the media. Several weeks before the election, the JLP started to attack the media. Several people expressed concerns to me about this dangerous and worrying trend. Apart from the fact that this was going off message, it is never a wise action to attack the media, especially close to an election.
3. The victim syndrome. The G2K advertisement which focused on attacking Portia Simpson Miller actually backfired. These ads clearly went beyond. A lot of people were offended by it. It created a martyr out of Simpson Miller and actually generated sympathy and votes, especially among women, who thought that it was an unfair portrayal of Simpson Miller and insensitive towards women especially those from certain social classes which represent a large proportion of our population. Additionally, some people found the ads demeaning and unethical. Many people feel the G2K actually owes the prime minister-designate an apology, as the advertisement bordered on abuse. Interestingly, it is worth noting that Simpson Miller and the People's National Party (PNP) took the moral high ground in that they did not respond directly to those ads.
4. Arrogance. Arrogance. Arrogance. "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall". The JLP had become very arrogant, detached and disconnected from the masses. They had stopped listening to the people, as a result they came off message. For example, Daryl Vaz's pronouncements on the political platform relating to the weeding out of public servants not only came across as being arrogant, but it generated a lot of fear. The Government is the largest employer. The comments angered many and generated insecurity and confusion.
5. The one-man band syndrome. The JLP made a serious mistake by portraying Andrew Holness as a young man who was to be the Messiah for Jamaica. The PNP, on the other hand, portrayed Simpson Miller and a team.
6. "Andrew has too much hype". This was a comment expressed to me by many. Apart from the one-man band, Holness himself generated a lot of 'hype'. He was too preoccupied with the fact that he was a bright young man. However true this may be, this did not generate a sense of humility and modesty.
7. Never ignore the people and their pain. Government involves implementing policies, governance and managing people. An effective government takes time to understand its people, their pain and their vulnerabilities. The Jamaican people have experienced a lot of pain and suffering during the hard times. The Government did not connect with the people's pain. They did not show that ability to validate the people's pain. That was clearly Simpson Miller's strength — the ability to read people; to connect with them and to acknowledge their pain and suffering. One young person summed it up to me by saying, "The JLP did not have the ability to empathise with poor people". Every good political campaign generates hope for people, especially in turbulent times. The JLP failed to do this.
8. A betrayal of trust. This is one the most complex and painful human emotions. Persons who experience infidelity, abuse and other forms of betrayal will tell you that these emotions are raw, deep and often last for a long time. It takes a long time to put closure to betrayal. The JLP betrayed the trust of the Jamaican people in the 'Dudus affair' and they underestimated the depth and the extent of the pain. They never really appreciated the psychological damage to our people and to their relationship with the electorate. This sense of betrayal was further compounded by other things such as the 'JDIP scandal'.
9. Words come to pass. When Andrew Holness was selected as leader of the JLP, someone commented that he was being ushered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and cautioned that the crucifixion would come. The crucifixion did come. Such is politics, it can be ungrateful, unfair, ungratifying. But that is the grim reality.
May our politicians learn some valuable lessons from this.
Dr Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and head, Section of Psychiatry, Dept. of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, 977-1108; email: [email protected].
1. The JLP was off message: They failed to focus on their achievements over the past four years and to create hope for the future. Instead they focused on attacking Portia Simpson Miller and also focused on other issues, such as homosexuality, which were clearly not critical to the electorate.
2. Attacking the media is political suicide. Never attack the media. Several weeks before the election, the JLP started to attack the media. Several people expressed concerns to me about this dangerous and worrying trend. Apart from the fact that this was going off message, it is never a wise action to attack the media, especially close to an election.
3. The victim syndrome. The G2K advertisement which focused on attacking Portia Simpson Miller actually backfired. These ads clearly went beyond. A lot of people were offended by it. It created a martyr out of Simpson Miller and actually generated sympathy and votes, especially among women, who thought that it was an unfair portrayal of Simpson Miller and insensitive towards women especially those from certain social classes which represent a large proportion of our population. Additionally, some people found the ads demeaning and unethical. Many people feel the G2K actually owes the prime minister-designate an apology, as the advertisement bordered on abuse. Interestingly, it is worth noting that Simpson Miller and the People's National Party (PNP) took the moral high ground in that they did not respond directly to those ads.
4. Arrogance. Arrogance. Arrogance. "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall". The JLP had become very arrogant, detached and disconnected from the masses. They had stopped listening to the people, as a result they came off message. For example, Daryl Vaz's pronouncements on the political platform relating to the weeding out of public servants not only came across as being arrogant, but it generated a lot of fear. The Government is the largest employer. The comments angered many and generated insecurity and confusion.
5. The one-man band syndrome. The JLP made a serious mistake by portraying Andrew Holness as a young man who was to be the Messiah for Jamaica. The PNP, on the other hand, portrayed Simpson Miller and a team.
6. "Andrew has too much hype". This was a comment expressed to me by many. Apart from the one-man band, Holness himself generated a lot of 'hype'. He was too preoccupied with the fact that he was a bright young man. However true this may be, this did not generate a sense of humility and modesty.
7. Never ignore the people and their pain. Government involves implementing policies, governance and managing people. An effective government takes time to understand its people, their pain and their vulnerabilities. The Jamaican people have experienced a lot of pain and suffering during the hard times. The Government did not connect with the people's pain. They did not show that ability to validate the people's pain. That was clearly Simpson Miller's strength — the ability to read people; to connect with them and to acknowledge their pain and suffering. One young person summed it up to me by saying, "The JLP did not have the ability to empathise with poor people". Every good political campaign generates hope for people, especially in turbulent times. The JLP failed to do this.
8. A betrayal of trust. This is one the most complex and painful human emotions. Persons who experience infidelity, abuse and other forms of betrayal will tell you that these emotions are raw, deep and often last for a long time. It takes a long time to put closure to betrayal. The JLP betrayed the trust of the Jamaican people in the 'Dudus affair' and they underestimated the depth and the extent of the pain. They never really appreciated the psychological damage to our people and to their relationship with the electorate. This sense of betrayal was further compounded by other things such as the 'JDIP scandal'.
9. Words come to pass. When Andrew Holness was selected as leader of the JLP, someone commented that he was being ushered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and cautioned that the crucifixion would come. The crucifixion did come. Such is politics, it can be ungrateful, unfair, ungratifying. But that is the grim reality.
May our politicians learn some valuable lessons from this.
Dr Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and head, Section of Psychiatry, Dept. of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, 977-1108; email: [email protected].
They got their @$$ whopped!!
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