Jamaica’s local government elections have been postponed for a further 12 months, and are to be held no later than February 28, 2024.
This follows approval of the Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporations and City Municipalities) Act, 2023 in the House of Representatives on Tuesday February 21. The bill was passed without amendment.
Twenty-nine members of parliament voted for the postponement, while eight voted against it.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond McKenzie, who piloted the bill, explained that the postponement will allow the country to continue its post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
“The government is sharply focused on two main things: 1) building national resilience against any further economic shocks, whether… manmade or natural disaster; and 2) the expansion and maintenance of strong economic growth that all our citizens can feel and see at a personal level.
“It is carefully considered, the position of the Government, that the holding of the municipal elections at this time will carry a significant risk diverting the country from these two vital tasks… that is fully accepted,” he said.
Noting the importance of the elections, Mr. McKenzie pointed out that the government is seeking a little more time to ensure the significant expenditure the elections require will be effectively managed alongside other priorities in the economy.
The minister also noted that the postponement will provide further time to conclude consultations regarding Portmore becoming Jamaica’s 15th parish.
“It is the commitment of the Government that Portmore becomes the 15th parish and, as such, [the] postponement will help us to conclude the consultations that are presently taking place.
“The Portmore Municipal Council has requested further time for consultations… because we want when the time rolls around, the people of Portmore… move to cast their votes as the 15th parish of Jamaica,” he said.
Earlier during the debate, St Andrew South Eastern MP Julian Robinson castigated the government for citing monetary costs as one of the reasons for putting off the polls.
With a $1.5 billion bill to hold local government elections, Robinson reminded the country that the finance minister “boasted” about the more than $80 billion above its own estimates pulled in by the administration for the 2022-2023 financial year.
Additionally, he said the government projects to collect an additional $127 billion in tax revenue for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Robinson further noted that the government called a national election in September 2020 at the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the economy fell by 13 percent of gross domestic product, and the country’s tourism sector was virtually locked down.
“So you come here and say ‘economic reason why you can’t call election’ weh cost $1.5 billion? Joke business! It’s better you never put this on the paper, Desmond,” Robinson lamented.
He charged that a government has the responsibility to budget for an election.
“This election was known. It never catch anybody like Nicodemus in the night. It is overdue; the government has the revenue to do it, but the government is afraid to face the people,” charged Robinson, who is also the opposition spokesman on finance.
Leader of Opposition Business Phillip Paulwell complained that the residents of 15 divisions across the country are currently without councilors.
“Whether you think you will win or lose, it is the people’s right to choose,” he stressed.
Opposition Leader Mark Golding said the reasons posited by the government for shifting the date for the polls were “spurious and disingenuous and cannot be supported”.
Mr. McKenzie urged Jamaicans to respect the government’s decision to postpone the elections.
Local government elections, which were scheduled to be held this month, were last held in 2016.
