"By your own admission, millions of us live in the diaspora."

Millions of Jamaicans also live in Jamaica. The diaspora includes Jamaicans with varying degrees of interest in politics, levels of education, ages, sex, household income and so on. More importantly, not all will vote. In short, the diaspora is no more a voting bloc than the island of Jamaica is. And speaking of voting blocs, here is what I find to be something that we should all be fearful of...if the JLP were to win the next election, one small voting bloc, or more accurately in the case of Tivoli - a garrison - will have, by their decision to follow orders in lock step fashion, decided for all, who the next PM is.

In what constituency will we all vote in JA...S.E. St. Elizabeth?

All Jamaicans and their families hail from somewhere. And we all have an interest in what happens in some part of the country to varying degrees and for various reasons.

"You can't deny that our needs do not coincide with those of resident Jamaicans. Some constituencies have one standpipe to serve thousands, rundown schools, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, bad roads, etc."

Their is no constituency to which the problems you have listed do not apply.

In any event, are you suggesting that Jamaicans who live abroad have no interest in seeing to it that these problems are addressed ? My own experience with various philanthropic organisations that are based in the US, and no doubt your experiences too, give lie to that position. More importantly, everybody I know who has reached out to our bawn lan whether by giving their money, time or our talents, have done so simply out of compassion for our fellow Jamaicans and not out of any perceived "need" that we have.

"The most we want is lower property taxes and an end to crime. That is not sufficient grounds for giving us the vote."

I take it that you are speaking for yourself here.

The right to vote in Jamaica has never been, to my knowledge, based upon one's motives for doing so. Why you would now want to apply a litmus test for those of us living abroad again brings up troubling historical precedents.