"Jamaicans are so ignorant and uneducated they will vote for anyone who gives them a handout. So our leaders and the entire political system are completely corrupt. Democracy can never work in a country like this."

You hear garbage like this spouted regularly at uptown verandah gatherings and on certain talk shows. But anyone with even a cursory knowledge of world affairs knows that this nation’s democratic record since independence has been a marvel. Since 1962 the only nations of over a million people which have held regular multi-party elections, remained assassination free, suffered no serious uprisings, adhered to the rule of law, and maintained a free press are Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Japan, Switzerland, Costa Rica – and Jamaica.

By their fruits ye shall know them, and Jamaicans have proven themselves as politically wise as any people on earth. Yet over the past 10 months they have outdone themselves. For as recently as last mid-September this country’s political future seemed bleak indeed, with the PNP having a huge national and local majority and the polls showing it on course for another overwhelming victory. The dismal prospect of unchallenged power stretching into a second decade loomed large.

Yet here we are with the healthiest political balance this country has known. Frankly it has been nothing short of a political miracle. Had a Jamaican Rip Van Winkle fallen asleep last mid September and woken up on June 20th he would still be rubbing his eyes in disbelief. For with a slender PNP parliamentary majority and the JLP controlling nearly all parish councils and both having won by less than 5%, neither side can claim dominance. It’s the party that most competently carries out the mandate the people have given it which will win the next general election.

In fact the biggest difference in the two elections may have been the weather. The old adage says bad weather means a low turnout which favours the incumbent, while good weather means a high turnout which favours the opposition. Had October 16^th 2002 been sunny and June 19^th 2003 seen all island rain instead of the other way around, we might now have a JLP parliament and PNP dominated parish councils.

Most heart warming of all has been the decline in political violence, for thanks in large to the EOJ and EAC these last two elections have undoubtedly been the freest, fairest and most peaceful in our history. While there was still minor skullduggery, ballot box stuffing and stealing is becoming as archaic as donkey carts on a highway. And though political garrisons still lamentably exist, results such as the Waterhouse division show that the winds of change are also blowing through these. The tribes are becoming visibly less hostile, with green and orange dancing together becoming a blessedly common scene.

Some pundits worry at the 40% voter turnout. But this was higher than 1998’s 38% and is about the historical average. Local elections everywhere draw few voters - the English figure last month was less than 35%. Nor are high voter levels always a sign of political health. In many areas of India for instance ethnic and religious fanaticism have fuelled 100% turnouts. And though low turnouts are nothing to boast about, Jamaica’s trends are similar to Britain’s and America’s. Anyway democratically apathetic countries do not have jubilant nomination day scenes like ours. And which other mature democracy has the kind of exhilarating mass party rallies we saw in Half Way Tree last year? Doomsayers can babble all they want - Jamaican democracy is in robust health.

But if our electorate deserves plaudits for this, our leaders must also get some credit. History will laud P.J. Patterson’s restraint in exercising his almost unchallenged political power. A less patriotic man might have used a 10 year elected dictatorship to institutionalize his party’s hold on power and “garrisonize” the entire country. But to his eternal credit he oversaw the creation of an independent electoral office with real power. And whether it was arrogance or his conscience, he allowed the people to have their say last week when he could easily have indefinitely delayed the parish council vote.

Now Bruce Golding must be happy. For though the NDM died, its central idea of checks and balances is now political reality. Coincidentally or not, Jamaica’s political renaissance can be dated almost to the day he returned to the JLP. The end of that story remains to be written, but Mr. Golding has definitely brought a sense of calm organization to the Labour party. It’s noticeable how many more close seats the JLP won than the PNP last week.

Edward ‘Hard man fe dead’ Seaga has proven once more that politic leadership is primarily about persistence and courage. Whether it’s the flush of victory or discrete plastic surgery as suss says, he is even looking younger these days. Some liken Mr. Seaga to an aging former heavyweight champion who refuses to retire. But George Foreman managed to regain the championship at 44. And the idea of ‘Uncle Eddie’ becoming Prime Minister again no longer seems so outlandish.

I must also mention my main parish of residence, Manchester. Not long ago there was talk of the ‘garrisonization of Mandeville’, yet suddenly its parish council has changed hands. Ms Sally Porteous must certainly be commended for her backbone. She may not be universally liked, but no one can fail to admire her bravery - although a more relaxed personal approach would garner her even more support.

The PNP now surely realizes that political handouts and gimmickry no longer work and that it can only win the next general election by governing so well that the average man’s lot improves. Which should mean among other things strict financial discipline and an end to blatant corruption. Now if only we can get crime under control. changkob@hotmail.com