Some 69 per cent of the just over 2,000,000 electors on the voters list identify as Christians. This means that at least 1,380,000 Believers, scattered among denominations islandwide, could be the largest constituency that could swing the results in the upcoming general elections, one way or another.
Several church leaders told the Freedom Come Rain this week that the matter of corruption and integrity will be major factors in determining which party the Christian community votes for. Secondary to this will be the views of political representatives on issues such as abortion, the LGBTQ push, and the move towards a cashless society.
“The largest single bloc of people are churchgoers. Some may not be avid Christians, but they are Christianised,” said Pastor Bruce Polson from the Christian Life Fellowship in Papine.
The pastor urged Christians to cast their vote because while it is important to discuss the issues, it is even more important to let the voting process determine the country’s next leader.
“I, along with others, am disturbed about the whole situation with the Integrity Commission and the attempts to make significant changes to the Commission, and as far as I am aware, we don’t know if the persons involved in pushing for these changes are themselves persons who are being cited for illicit enrichment,” he said.
The Integrity Commission (IC), which is the country’s foremost anti-corruption agency, revealed that 13 members of Parliament and one senator have been referred for illicit enrichment probes over the seven-year period from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2025. The IC has not certified the 2021 income statutory declarations filing for the country’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and had launched an illicit enrichment probe based on his financial declarations.
The matter has been referred to the Financial Investigations Division, but that agency is currently under public scrutiny after accountant Dennis Chung was recently appointed as the Division’s chief technical director.
Several civil society organisations and even powerful business lobby groups have expressed concerns, and have called for greater transparency regarding his appointment based on public comments Chung had made in support of Holness.
The Holness-led government public spat with the leadership of the IC intensified after the JLP recently used its parliamentary majority to push through a recommendation by one of its members of parliament to change the rules that make the auditor general (AG) a commissioner.
Senior pastor of the Christian Holiness Church in Jamaica, Bishop Alvin Bailey, believes that those who are putting themselves up now for public office must be able to stand the scrutiny of the people with respect to integrity.
“The type of rhetoric that we are now hearing should never be among them,” he said.
The senior clergyman noted that both the ruling Jamaica Labour Party and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) have articulated good policies going into the next election, which is constitutionally due by September. However, Bishop Bailey believes the conduct, character, and compliance of those vying to lead the country must be in keeping with the expectation of the political code of conduct, Christian values, integrity, and morality.
“The most critical issues right now are the matters that are floating around, the matters of corruption, conduct and character; so the more they can declare themselves and keep their hands clean, they are more favourable,” Bishop Bailey told the Freedom Come Rain.
“People are paying attention to the fact that the Integrity Commission is now playing a more prominent role in the evaluation of the private financial lives of individuals. Before that, we didn’t have anything like a formal institution talking about corruption,” noted the pastor who is also the president of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance.
“Jamaicans on a whole and the Christian community must view this opportunity at this critical juncture to put people in office on both sides that their lives, conduct, and character are above board. Those persons who we think, or from our estimation and the manifestations we have seen, have proven not to be worthy or have questionable character, we must just vote them out,” he added.