Shocking Exit: Jamaica First Movement withdraws from Sept 3 General Elections days before polls

Jamaica: With less than a week to go to the September 3 General Elections, Jamaica First Movement (JFM), has announced that it will no longer be contesting in the upcoming election of September 3. 

The Jamaica First Movement (JFM) was launched earlier this month by a prominent clergyman, Revered Al Miller, with the intention to heal Jamaica from decades of political division as the party advocated for a one-term government of national unity. 

JFM invited other prominent parties to unite for a five year term but his proposal was met with rejection. 

The announcement of JFM's decision to withdraw from the September 3 elections follows a statement by Al Miller, the party's founder, criticizing Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness and the opposition People's National Party (PNP). Miller demanded that the Prime Minister explain to the Jamaican people any arrangements the government has with Chinese and other major foreign conglomerates that could impact the welfare of Jamaicans.

He questioned whether the Opposition is aware of these arrangements and whether they would uphold and honor them if elected.

Miller further called for the government to list the national legally binding agreements that they signed, and the amount of revenue that the government is set to receive under the agreements along with the outstanding balances, and the timelines for payment.

Furthermore, the announcement follows after JFM and the Jamaican Progressive Party (JPP) announcing a mutual dissolution of their political alliance about a week ago due to substantive differences that guide both parties. 

In an official statement, Miller said that the split of the two parties was mutual after both parties released a joint statement on August 13 explaining their split was mutual  and while they had initially entered a partnership with shared hopes for national transformation. 

They concluded that the foundational principles regarding structure and vision for a government of national unity were misaligned, differing from both parties' initial understanding. The JFM's decision to drop out of the upcoming elections leaves the Jamaica Progressive Party (JPP) as the sole participant following their split.

As of now, no further information was released by the JPP, except that they expect to hold a press conference at noon on Saturday, August 30 to address all the matters and concerns that the Jamaican citizens may have. 

JFM’s withdrawal from the elections has left the citizens of Jamaica shocked with many demanding answers of why the party withdrew with only days left until the September 3 general elections. One user took to Facebook to question, “JFM needs to say why they’re not contesting the elections.”