In 13 contested general elections since 1944, the Jamaican electorate has retained the sitting government seven times - 1949, 1959, 1967, 1976, 1993, 1997, 2002 - and voted them out six times - 1955, 1962, 1972, 1980, 1989, 2007. In 1949, though the JLP administration won the most seats, the PNP opposition actually won the popular vote. So in effect, incumbents and challengers are tied six and a half all.

Over 10,000 radio and television ads were run in the recent election campaign. Not a single one focused on crime, even though Jamaica has one of the world's highest murder rates.

It's easy to understand why the then People's National Party (PNP) government ignored the darkest stain on its record. There were 429 murders in 1989. In 2006 there were 1,340. No government can defend a 300 per cent increase in homicide levels during its tenure. So who can blame the Comrades for pretending crime wasn't an issue?

"Having spoken to him only a few times, I don't know Bruce Golding very well. So my judgement of the man is based on media reports and the opinions of those who have worked closely with him. But it's my strong impression that there is no more intelligent and honest politician in Jamaica. And everyone who puts their country's interests first - as opposed to party agendas or personal vendettas - must be happy at having a man of such stature involved in national affairs once again." Jamaica Observer, October 7, 2002.

Only he knows why, but God sure loves this country. Once more a potentially catastrophic hurricane headed straight for middle stump, swung away at the last minute and merely brushed us. My sympathies are with the unfortunates who were flooded out and had roofs blown off and crops washed away. But had 'Dean' not changed course, the suffering would have been a hundred times worse than it was.

Political commentary is really nothing more than running your mouth in public. Writing a column or talking on radio doesn't give anyone special insights or knowledge. All it really means is a bigger audience than the normal rum bar. The average 'expert' is generally no better at guessing the future than the average man or woman. Even Nostradamus only gets it right after the fact.

Is Jamaica the world's most exuberant democracy? Only a political globetrotter could say for sure. But our party conferences and meetings must be as electric as any on the planet. And it's not as if we're just discoveringthe joys of choosing our own destiny. Forty-five years of largely free and fair multi-party elections, adhering to the rule of law, and remaining coup- and assassination-free is no mean achievement.

When Jamaica started electing leaders in 1944, most of the populace was probably illiterate, there was only one national newspaper, and there was no radio or television. Those who did not attend political meetings often knew nothing about constituency candidates except their name and party. No wonder leaders joked that people would vote for a PNP or JLP donkey as candidate.

Politics is a messy, convoluted business because human beings are messy, convoluted creatures. The average public office seeker is probably no less honest or truthful than the average voter. But, while we quickly adjust our own opinions to life's unpredictability, politicians are pilloried for changing their minds when the facts change. Very often, we condemn them most vigorously for the sins we feel most guilty of. How many private lives would pass muster if put under press scrutiny?

Once upon a time, Jamaican election polls were easy to understand - if Carl Stone say so, it go so. From 1976 until 1993 the Stone polls were as accurate as any in the world, never being outside the margin of error.

By the 1997 elections Dr. Stone had left us, but again the Stone polls got it right. Apparently, he had passed on his methodologies well.

Politics can decide the destinies of nations. But to many people an election is just another exciting contest where I want my side to win no matter what. And party candidates and voters find it as difficult to be objective as football players and fans. 'The press is biased!' is the political equivalent of 'The referee is a thief!'

No doubt individual media players, from newspaper owners to reporters to cameramen, have their personal prejudices. But in those countries with a tradition of a free and fair media - among which Jamaica is thankfully numbered - the collective press is nearly always an objective onlooker that calls it as it sees it. Market forces make it rather difficult for our almost 20 radio stations, three national television stations, three national daily newspapers, two national weekly newspapers, and many local papers and cable channels to all have a consistent partisan bias.