Johng, I have read many of the references you cited but maybe not all as you seem to have done. I know a little bit about Jamaican History and I guess it would be your judgement as to whether I am “educated” about it or not. What happened in Jamaica leading up to the Golding-Dudus fiasco in West Kingston has (in my opinion) little bearing on how things are politically in Jamaica today. Those earlier times is where “garrison” became a popular term to describe armed encampments owing allegiance to a Don who often worked with the Member of Parliament whose constituency elected him or her.
Terms like “voilent” (sic) or “I-lections” may be how a Jamaican or Rastafarian talks but most tourists have not had the pleasure of living in one of those “garrisons” you are talking about. I did for a time but I don’t claim to be “educated” on how they were before I lived there. I just know in the last election there was virtually no violence at least no gun violence to speak of.
I liken a word like “garrison” to be descriptive of how things were and not so much how things are. Yes, there are still Dons in control in some areas and they, of course, have some amount of weapons and ammunition but not up to a level that would today be called a “garrison”. Again, in my opinion.
Like the word “militia” here in the US. When a bunch of malcontents take up arms and call themselves a militia that doesn’t fit the definition of what a militia was and what it was intended to be.
You and smith744 are certainly entitled to your opinion and I hope you both take the time to do a little more in-depth research on the past two elections as to the level of violence experienced by the electorate. I believe that is a better prognosticator of future elections than dusting off names like “Seaga”, “Manley”, etc. and predicting the future from them.
Smith744, I would have answered your post separately but I find the amount of cutting of gibberish to make something coherent was simply too tiring. {sigh}
Peace and Guidance
