Chairman of Cool Corporation, Joe Issa, is urging the Jamaican government to carefully study what benefits there might be in having members of the diaspora vote in elections in Jamaica.The issue of the diaspora voting in Jamaican elections has been raised repeatedly over the years, especially in the years when the Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference is held, such as 2015.The 2015 conference raised several issues including, quite naturally, the issue of voting for Jamaicans in the diaspora.Issa believes that a decision could be taken based on what benefits the country might derive from allowing such a vote, even as the Government and the parliamentary Opposition continue to proffer opposing sentiments.In a Jamaica Gleaner story entitled “Diaspora vote not on the cards….for now,” by Keisha Hill and published May 4, 2015,http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20150504/diaspora-vote-not-cardsfor-now ,state minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Arnaldo Brown is quoted as saying “…….at this point in time, the Government is not contemplating an absentee ballot.”Brown, however, pointed to the fact that some Jamaicans living overseas are still eligible to vote in Jamaica by virtue of being registered and in possession of valid identification cards.Identification cards are valid for 10 years and with the last voters list being created in 2011, the ID cards would be valid until 2021.While Brown has rejected the idea of absentee ballot, Opposition leader Andrew Holness, in a June 11, 2015 Jamaica Gleaner story, “Give Diaspora a constituent vote in Ja – Holness,” by Edmond Campbell,
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20150611/give-diaspora-constituent-vote-ja-holness
called for constituent vote for the diaspora.According to the article, after trips to the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US), the countries with the most Jamaicans, Holness returned to urge Prime Minister Portia Simpson- Miller to seek ways to give members of the diaspora a constituent vote in Jamaica, suggesting: “You can craft it such that they vote in a constituent and therefore it is a constituent vote, rather than deciding the government.”
Holness acknowledged that Jamaicans at home might question the move to give persons in the diaspora a vote here, saying this was a legitimate concern.He said however, he was recommending a model similar to that practiced by the French government, whereby their nationals vote out their ballots are registered for only one constituency in France.Holness said the diaspora vote would mean that Jamaicans abroad would have a representative in Jamaica’s Parliament.Meanwhile, Jamaicans are evenly split on the issue of vote for the diaspora.According to a Jamaica Observer online poll published June 30, 2015,http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/mobile/latestnews/ONLINE-POLL–Readers-split-50-50-on-J-cans-in-Diaspora-voting-in-elections ,a total of 4,617 responses were received to the question: “Should Jamaicans in the diaspora be allowed to vote in elections?” and ended in a 50-50 split.It is estimated that over two million Jamaicans are living overseas. On a yearly basis, they make significant contribution to Jamaica, mainly through remittances sent to family and friends living in Jamaica.In 2013 remittances reached a record US$2.06B, a growth of 2.8% over 2012 figures:http://digjamaica.com/blog/2014/03/14/2013-records-highest-remittances-ever-over-2b-inflows/ .Of the amount, $1226.10M came from US, 326.8M from UK, 246M from Canada, 123.3M from Cayman Islands and 142.8M from other countries, during 2013.For 2014, the total figure rose by 5%, according to the website, http://icinsider.com/remittances-up-5-for-2014/Outside of cash, Jamaicans abroad are known for sending goods back home, with hundreds of barrels being sent back to the island yearly, packed mostly with personal effects and food items.Undoubtedly, then, Jamaicans abroad contribute significantly to Jamaica. Issa believes though that there is one area where they could contribute more.“If, for example, they are allowed to vote, could we here in Jamaica then say, look, your responsibility is now to try and woo investors to Jamaica,” Issa argues.“It would mean more investment in Jamaica and growth in the economy and reduce the dependence on remittances.”“So let us examine the pros and cons and see how best we can settle this matter. Whatever the outcome, though, I believe we should all benefit,” Issa suggests.
