Jamaica Government & Politics

Jamaica inherits its political institutions from Britain. It is a stable parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth. Although Jamaica is independent, its titular head of state is Queen Elizabeth II of England. She is represented by a Jamaican-born governor general (often referred to as 'GG' by islanders), who is appointed on the advice of the prime minister and a six-member Privy Council. The governor's duties are largely ceremonial and include appointing the prime minister, who is always the leader of the majority party after each national election.

Executive power resides with a cabinet appointed and led by the prime minister, and which is responsible to Jamaica's Parliament. Parliament consists of a bicameral legislature - a 60-member elected House of Representatives and a nominated 21-seat Senate, of which 13 members are appointed by the prime minister and eight by the leader of the opposition. The Senate's main function is to review legislation sent forward by the elected House. The House may override a Senate veto, but a two-thirds vote in both houses is required to change Jamaica's constitution.

A full parliamentary term is five years. The governor, however, may call a national election at any time the prime minister requests.

Political Parties

Post-independence Jamaican politics has been largely a struggle between two parties: the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). There are also a handful of minor parties, including the United People's Party, formed in 2001 as a third party alternative to the ineffectual National Democratic Movement.

The PNP is a social-democratic party closely affiliated to the National Worker's Union. The PNP's leader is PJ Patterson, the current prime minister, whose political philosophy blends free-market economics with a large dose of government largesse.

Despite its name, the JLP is a conservative party with ties to the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union. It is currently led by ex-prime minister Edward Seaga, an autocratic, cynical, bullying self-promoter instrumental in the creation of murder-ridden one-party enclaves (called 'garrisons'); he is commonly accused of fostering the cocaine trade for political ends, and at last visit was facing charges of massive tax fraud.

Corruption & 'Garrison' Politics

The one thing the PNP and JLP have in common is a flair for corruption and pandering - what Jamaicans call 'politricks.' Graft is a way of life in Jamaican politics, cronyism is entrenched in the system, and the government's so-called social and economic support program is a gravy train for contractors with political connections. Leading officials are usually political appointees eager to cash in for themselves before the next change of government.

Election time in Jamaica is often an explosive affair, though things have calmed down since the late 1970s and early 1980s, when hundreds of Jamaicans lost their lives in partisan killings in 'garrison constituencies,' zones where political parties maintain their dominance through thuggery.

Violent retribution and intimidation (performed by gangster affiliates) are common. During the heady 1970s, individual politicians developed strangleholds over low-income areas in Kingston by pandering to 'dons' (gang leaders) who would deliver blocks of votes in exchange for government contracts and other largesse such as jobs and housing. Political discipline was enforced by the barrels of Armalite and M16 rifles. Tivoli Gardens, for example, is a JLP stronghold, while neighboring Arnett Gardens is a PNP garrison.

The Military

Jamaica has no army, navy, or air force. However, the Jamaica Defense Force, comprising 2500 members, is a well-armed and highly efficient military unit with its own Coast Guard and Air Wing. It works closely with the US Drug Enforcement Agency in drug interdiction.

Police

The average policeman or policewoman on the street is exemplary: civil, courteous, and dedicated to upholding the law. Yet the force is beset with corruption. Branches of the police have a reputation for execution-style killings and other criminal misconduct. In 2001, an Amnesty International report identified Jamaica as having more people, proportionate to the population, killed by police than any other nation.

The force boasts a well-armed, militaristic component that does duty in a vigorous battle against drug lords and syndicated crime figures. Most police carry guns, and it is not unusual to see heavily armed patrols (usually during drug searches) bearing fearsome weaponry.

Officers of the Resort Patrol Services patrol the major resorts to guard the welfare of tourists.

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