Thursday, December 15, 2011

Meetings

More meetings should be held in the backs of the van, during a rainstorm in Central Manchester, in the parking lot of a row of shops specializing is roasted yam and fish. Or in said van while driving dangerously fast up a mountain road with no guard rail and huge potholes. Although it poses a challenge for the junior officer tasked with taking notes of the meeting.

It's Jamaica, and election season is in full force. Candidates vying for their seats in whatever Parliamentary constituency are usually willing to indulge us for a quick meeting, but on a day like today it means they meet us in the parking lot of a KFC, jump in the back seat with us as we follow the wrecklessly driven campaign vehicle to his next campaign stop, and they jump out and get back to winning hearts and minds.

Travelling around the countryside and the major cities is probably the best education a Political officer could ask for, and the fact that these politicians are so preoccupied with their campaigns that they are a little less worried about putting on the shiniest sheen for us means that we have a chance to get a little better insight into what all is going on around here.