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PrimaryReasons PNP and JLP Will and Might Vote
The data in Chart 3 and Chart 4 come from cross-tabulations of the primary reasons respondents give
for saying ‘Yes’ they will vote in the upcoming election, and their primary motivation for making that
decision (Will Vote). This is combined with the primary reasons given for ‘Might Votes’ by the
‘Uncertain’ Respondents. These reasons are cross-tabulated with the party for which they will or might
vote. The charts suggest that almost two-thirds of persons who will or might vote PNP will or might do
so based on tradition. “In my family we will even vote for a PNP dog!” one mature woman said. Another
mature woman with 9 votes for Hugh Buchanan in her extended family expressed: “Nine of us getting
up, dress together, assemble from the 3 houses you see in this yard, pray together, then go vote PNP –
not for Hugh, not even for Portia that we love – for PNP. I am talking about the PNP that the man
Michael Manley set up and leave give all of us in this country who have ambition.”
Those who will or might vote JLP will or might do so primarily to trigger change – against the
Government or the MP. The challenge for these JLP voters is the mass of PNP traditional voters – who
might complain about their MP but get up dress together, pray and go vote for the ruling party. A
traditional JLP mature male explained the problem for the JLP candidate in the following manner:
“Danny mess wi up down here. He may not have won by a lot of votes but him stay dere for too long.
Him do a lot of damage to the spirit of the JLP. Now the PNP have a mass of people who have children
and dem just vote PNP. For JLP to win down here it must mean that JLP winning the election, and the
candidate must be like Tufton – so it would be like the candidate win over the party. This nice-talking
young boy don’t have those super powers; plus all now me no see him, and election is next week. All I
see is him people and dat don’t work here. This is not junction.”
63%
12%
9%
7%
5%
4%
Chart 3: Primary Reasons to Vote for the PNP in South-west St. Elizabeth
Family Tradition (36)
Political Participation (7)
Candidate (5)
Party Leader (4)
Issues (3)
Hand-out (2)