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EDITORIALS - No room for Jezebels
published: Monday | April 30, 2007
Karl Samuda, the general secretary of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), assumed an appropriately high moral ground in the 'Jezebel' controversy involving the party's candidate for the South East St. Andrew constituency, Mrs. Joan Gordon-Webley.
At issue is whether Mrs. Gordon-Webley's characterisation of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, whether by direct statement or by the encouragement of others, was appropriate conduct in the context of Jamaica's potentially volatile political environment and the existing code of conduct governing the behaviour of parties and their candidates. Mr.
Samuda, understandably, believes it isn't.
Jezebel, the Old Testament character, was the scheming wife of the Israelite king, Ahab. She turns him away from God to pagan worship and brings tyranny on the land before being gruesomely killed. In New Testament scripture, there is a Jezebel in the city of Thyatira who promotes licentiousness and hedonistic immorality. So today, the word Jezebel is usually used to mean a scheming, and loose woman. In the Jamaican context it also often means a cantakerous harridan.
However, Mrs. Gordon-Webley has refused to apologise, apparently on two grounds. First, she makes the point that she was not the one who initiated the Jezebel characterisation. During her speech in Trelawny last Tuesday when she spoke about the performance of the Government and the Prime Minister, some in the audience made the reference to Jezebel and the Prime Minister. Mrs. Gordon-Webley concurred.
Second, as was reported by this newspaper, she felt that there was no need for an apology since she was quoting the Bible. So much for taking responsibility; it was ordained by God.
Our strong defence for freedom of expression notwithstand, we feel that this issue is more fundamental than Mrs. Gordon-Webley not being 'polite', as Bruce Golding, the JLP leader, put it. While we appreciate the rough and tumble of competitive liberal democracy, there is no gainsaying that Jamaica's political culture, including its demonising of opponents and harsh invective, bears a substantial burden for the pall of violence that so weighs down the country today.
In that regard, Mr. Samuda is right about leading by example and need for politicians to retreat from "these sorts of old-fashioned assaults on each other". For as the JLP general secretary said: "You cannot speak about the restoration of moral values and standards and then descend into the sort of 'cass-cass' we have grown accustomed to over the years."
Perhaps having heard Mr. Samuda, Mrs. Gordon-Webley will reconsider, lest she set the tone for a political campaign that we may all regret.
Mr Golding's one-stop agency
We agree with Bruce Golding on the need for the faster approval of investment projects to help spur economic growth and the creation of jobs. Where we are not with him is with his plan to address the problem should he become Prime Minister after the next general election.
He proposes to establish a one-stop approval shop, an idea Jamaican leaders consistently talk about. It strikes us like the man with the proverbial hotline, bullying the bureaucracy into action.
The better, and sustainable solution, in our view, is the systematic removal of red tape and the unfettering of the public bureaucracy to do its jobs efficiently.
One-stop approval shops may address concerns of investors, local and foreign. But systems and procedures must work for the wider citizenry or, ultimately, they don't work at all. The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published
published: Monday | April 30, 2007
Karl Samuda, the general secretary of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), assumed an appropriately high moral ground in the 'Jezebel' controversy involving the party's candidate for the South East St. Andrew constituency, Mrs. Joan Gordon-Webley.
At issue is whether Mrs. Gordon-Webley's characterisation of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, whether by direct statement or by the encouragement of others, was appropriate conduct in the context of Jamaica's potentially volatile political environment and the existing code of conduct governing the behaviour of parties and their candidates. Mr.
Samuda, understandably, believes it isn't.
Jezebel, the Old Testament character, was the scheming wife of the Israelite king, Ahab. She turns him away from God to pagan worship and brings tyranny on the land before being gruesomely killed. In New Testament scripture, there is a Jezebel in the city of Thyatira who promotes licentiousness and hedonistic immorality. So today, the word Jezebel is usually used to mean a scheming, and loose woman. In the Jamaican context it also often means a cantakerous harridan.
However, Mrs. Gordon-Webley has refused to apologise, apparently on two grounds. First, she makes the point that she was not the one who initiated the Jezebel characterisation. During her speech in Trelawny last Tuesday when she spoke about the performance of the Government and the Prime Minister, some in the audience made the reference to Jezebel and the Prime Minister. Mrs. Gordon-Webley concurred.
Second, as was reported by this newspaper, she felt that there was no need for an apology since she was quoting the Bible. So much for taking responsibility; it was ordained by God.
Our strong defence for freedom of expression notwithstand, we feel that this issue is more fundamental than Mrs. Gordon-Webley not being 'polite', as Bruce Golding, the JLP leader, put it. While we appreciate the rough and tumble of competitive liberal democracy, there is no gainsaying that Jamaica's political culture, including its demonising of opponents and harsh invective, bears a substantial burden for the pall of violence that so weighs down the country today.
In that regard, Mr. Samuda is right about leading by example and need for politicians to retreat from "these sorts of old-fashioned assaults on each other". For as the JLP general secretary said: "You cannot speak about the restoration of moral values and standards and then descend into the sort of 'cass-cass' we have grown accustomed to over the years."
Perhaps having heard Mr. Samuda, Mrs. Gordon-Webley will reconsider, lest she set the tone for a political campaign that we may all regret.
Mr Golding's one-stop agency
We agree with Bruce Golding on the need for the faster approval of investment projects to help spur economic growth and the creation of jobs. Where we are not with him is with his plan to address the problem should he become Prime Minister after the next general election.
He proposes to establish a one-stop approval shop, an idea Jamaican leaders consistently talk about. It strikes us like the man with the proverbial hotline, bullying the bureaucracy into action.
The better, and sustainable solution, in our view, is the systematic removal of red tape and the unfettering of the public bureaucracy to do its jobs efficiently.
One-stop approval shops may address concerns of investors, local and foreign. But systems and procedures must work for the wider citizenry or, ultimately, they don't work at all. The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published