Caribbean News
Jamaica prepares for local government elections
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#Jamaica, November 25, 2023 – Local Government elections are just around the corner and Jamaica is in preparation mode for a potentially hot competition on Election Day.
In readying for the typically heated running for divisional councilors and mayors, as is the nature of local government elections, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), as of November, commenced the recruitment process for elections day workers, as reported by The Jamaica Information Service (JIS).
The electoral office has been appealing to Jamaicans to apply for positions on Election Day, due, under the law, on or before February 28th, 2024, about three months from now.
Glasspole Brown, Director of Elections, informed the media that EOJ since the start of the recruitment process, training has begun. However, there are still many people than have the chance to be a part of the election process, especially given the positions available.
The available positions include presiding officers, poll clerks, supervisors and polling station security assistants
(PASSA) or or one-day police officers, as they are called.
Not only that, there are also positions for logistical support as well as short term employment within the Information Technology Department and Field Operations Department and in officers; this is for additional work before and after Election Day.
Upon starting the recruitment process, EOJ set a goal for approximately 28,000 people which they are now close to reaching.
“So far, the response has been very good, we are close to our target, but we continue to recruit because we have to go through a process of training these individuals,” expressed Brown.
He added that after training there may be a number of the recruits who do not make the cut due to not meeting the standard required to work on Election Day, hence the continuation of recruitment. Brown further pointed out that the EOJ will be prepared before the year’s end.
This term’s Local government election comes after three postponements, when the bill allowing the delay was passed earlier this year in February, reports say. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness indicated that the election WILL be held In February or next year, as it is due.
In fact, further postponement was answered with heavy pushback from the opposition, which expressed that it is in contradiction to true democracy.
Local government elections in Jamaica are constitutionally (under the law) due every four years and were last held in November of 2016. The next due date was November 2020, but due to COVID-19, it was put off, despite the holding of general elections two months prior in September.
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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