Jamaica stands at a crossroads — not just of development, but of political maturity. For far too long, we’ve allowed the fog of partisanship and selective memory to obscure the reality of who has failed the Jamaican people and who is finally trying to do something about it.
There’s a troubling pattern taking root in our national discourse: the habit of blaming the present for the sins of the past, while conveniently forgetting who created the dysfunction in the first place. Voters, fed a diet of nostalgia and empty rhetoric, often lash out at the most recent Administration while giving a pass to the very parties and politicians who presided over decades of stagnation.
Let’s be brutally clear — the chronic underdevelopment, crumbling infrastructure, and hollowed-out communities weren’t born in the last nine years. They are the fruit of decades of neglect, often at the hands of entrenched representatives who wore the same political colour for generation after generation. You’ll find no shortage of examples where seats were held by one party for over 30 years — yet those communities still lacked proper roads, water access, and functioning public facilities.
Now, as those long-forgotten areas finally begin to see road works, water upgrades, and health infrastructure under a government committed to course-correcting, some residents — understandably frustrated — are misdirecting their anger. But anger without context is a weapon against progress.
This Government has not claimed perfection — no government can — but what it has demonstrated is action. From the roll-out of major infrastructural programs like SPARK, to deliberate efforts in job creation, security, and healthcare investment, this is an Administration focused on the long game. And yet, because it hasn’t performed miracles within a single electoral cycle, it is often judged more harshly than those who sat comfortably for decades doing nothing.
This is not about partisanship; it is about principle. If we’re going to demand results, we must also demand accountability — real accountability — from those who held power when it mattered most and did the least.
Political loyalty should not be inherited. It should be earned. And so should blame.
Let us stop rewriting history to fit a narrative. Let us stop expecting instant redemption from those cleaning up a mess they didn’t make. And let us start calling failure by its name — no matter the party.
Jamaica doesn’t need another round of tribal politics. It needs truth, critical thinking, and a citizenry brave enough to face where the real fault lies.
