By Vinette K. Pryce

Jamaicans are once again reeling with a split of opinions after what seemed like a second hurricane blast when the opposition Jamaica Labor Party emerged the close but decided winner of Monday’s national elections claiming 33 of the 60 parliamentary seats to the ruling party’s 27.

Two weeks after Hurricane Dean wreaked category four havoc on the island of 2.8 millions, it seemed as if gale force winds swept voters to the polls to decide against the first female Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller.
The narrow victory seemingly manifested and steadily grew to winning proportions from the date the prime minister announced the Aug. 27, 2007 elections. After what seemed like a honeymoon romance with the naming of Simpson-Miller, the first female to lead a Jamaican party and nation, many hoped for a long distance relationship that would prove competency past a national referendum. It ended 16 months later. And while what seemed to be a consensus amongst grass-roots, bi-partisan residents that Simpson-Miller was a blessing for the island, time seemed to erode her appeal. Reportedly, a gradual diminishing of her approval plagued her performance. On visits abroad, the leader seemed elusive to media.

At home, many were dissatisfied with the long campaign timeframe she set and would have preferred a shorter lead-in to the polling date. A debate pitting rival party leader Bruce Golding reportedly further plummeted the performance rating of the once-popular history maker.
The wrath of Hurricane Dean did not seem to aid the incumbent.

With imposition of a state of emergency after, the popular opinion was that Simpson-Miller was rapidly losing favor and support from the masses she had charmed throughout the 16 months she replaced former P.J. Patterson who left office after serving a record five terms in office. Political pundits predicted a surge in popularity for the green JLP party.
Less than a week prior to the postponed Sept. 3 election date, reports were that the JLP had a better approval rating and were narrowing the 39 percent lead distancing the PNP from the JLP. By the weekend, political analysts announced a JLP lead that forged a closing of the gap and a nine percent lead predicted an early win for the opposition party.
The day after thousands braved rains from a reportedly new Hurricane Felix, The Jamaica Observer headlined: “JLP triumphs after nail-biting elections.” They described the process to be: “an excruciatingly close contest” between the green and orange rivals. Reportedly the 59-year-old Golding was elated about his victory but cautioned his supporters “not to gloat.”
His message was that “we can’t row the boat of the nation with only one set of the people doing the rowing. We need everybody on board.”    

 “Unyielding” is how the Daily Gleaner reported the former leader’s response to the previous day’s election returns. The newspaper said Simpson-Miller refused to acknowledge her loss and adamantly said she is “conceding no victory to the Jamaica Labor Party.”
“We will be taking action… we will be watching clearly…the count…we will pursue action in the courts on constitutional issues…we are not going to stand by and allow criminals to decide the future of the Jamaican people”
With violence a pre-amble to the elections resulting in the deaths of at least 10 individuals – attributed to political violence – it seems a war may be brewing.
Although she has not conceded loss, Golding accepted what he considers to be a people’s mandate for him to provide alternative leadership to the 18-year PNP rule of the government.
The outcome marked signs “of a new beginning in the political history of JA.”
“We hope he will follow words with performance,” radio personality Wilmot “Mutty” Perkins said on his “Perkins On Line” program on Tuesday.
Apparently if a tie or disputed election is contested without resolution, Governor General Kenneth Hall is the ultimate authority to resolve the controversy under provisions of sections 70 and 71 of the Jamaican constitution.
Gunfire was reported Tuesday in the Waverley and Waterhouse areas of Kingston.
Road-blocks in the Hatfield main road region of Central Manchester were reported.
Rioting in Spaldings, Clarendon sparked police duty on Tuesday.
Rumors of an intended exodus from the island were also murmured.
To that drain on the island’s populous, Perkins added that “any rejection of our Jamaican democracy is a call for Fascism.”
He said there are severe threats against Jamaica’s democracy by individuals who are saying “they would not live under a government ruled by the JLP.”
He said Golding’s task “will be difficult, it is not going to be easy...the economy is in a colossal mess...and the needs of the people are great and urgent…to identify those needs will be difficult,” but he said Golding should persevere to bring unity to the nation. 
The JLP has promised free education and massive changes in health standards.
On a visit to Brooklyn, Golding vowed to implement better living conditions for the masses of the people.
“I hope that the JLP will rise to the occasion,” Perkins said.
Jamaicans living in Canada, England and the USA keenly monitored the elections via online radio connections.