There are moments in the life of a nation when thoughtful citizens experience a growing unease — not because democracy has collapsed, but because patterns repeat with disturbing familiarity. Jamaica may now be approaching such a juncture.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, the island has entered a period of accelerated reconstruction, heightened executive urgency, and concentrated state power. Many welcome decisive leadership during a crisis; societies battered by disaster naturally crave efficiency and visible authority. Yet, history warns that national emergencies are fertile ground for institutional distortion and the quiet normalisation of political centralisation.

Within this context, uncomfortable similarities are emerging between Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness’ post-Melissa Jamaica and President Jacob Zuma’s post-Mandela South Africa. While Jamaica has not descended into full-blown ‘state capture’, democracies do not deteriorate all at once. They drift, acclimatise, and normalise the abnormal. Comparative political vigilance is essential.