With American politics so in our faces every four years and in between polling day, calls for our electoral system to take on more features of our neighbors to the north are often made in The Bahamas as a general election nears. One such call is for political leaders to engage in debates, to reflect a more mature approach to electioneering by making themselves available for questioning on a national platform.

Debates have not traditionally been a part of our political culture, and we doubt they would change the minds of many voters, but is there value in them?

While the most closely watched political debates for most Bahamians are the US presidential debates, in our Caribbean sister country, Jamaica, debates have also become an important addition to campaign season.

The Jamaica Debates Commission (JDC) was formed in 2002 as a partnership between the Media Association Jamaica (MAJ) and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC).

According to its website, the objective of the JDC in organizing debates was to assist in the strengthening and growth of the democratic process by encouraging and supporting the dissemination and discussion of political views in an open and unbiased manner, so as to enable the Jamaican electorate to make informed decisions.

The MAJ and JCC have equal representation on a six-person commission, with a rotating chairmanship. Individuals on the commission are given the title of commissioner and are supported by resource persons who provide the commission with additional skills and expertise. All positions are served on a voluntary basis and in 2019, the JDC was registered as a charitable organization. 

The commission says political debates are important because they:

• Promote civil discourse

• Defuse political/partisan tensions

• Ensure a focus on issues

• Allow the public to compare political parties directly in the same forum

• Provide basis for accountability

The commission says key findings in polls conducted after general elections in Jamaica have shown that 67 percent of the general public believes that election debates should be mandatory, but only 30 percent changed their vote after watching the debates.

Seventy-eight percent said debates addressed their issues and 57 percent said debates helped them to decide. Forty percent of people of voting age said they had followed past political debates.

In 2016, the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) decided that it would not participate in the debates. The decision not to debate was highlighted and condemned by print and electronic media alike, and was widely discussed on talk shows and social media, the JDC noted.

The incumbent party lost elections by one seat in a surprising defeat. JDC commissioned an independent poll after the elections to check public reaction.

“Polling indicates that the electorate have found the debates useful in making their final voting choices,” the commission said.

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