Gordon Robinson | Tek sleep mark death!

The PNP leadership contest has lit a fire under the party pot, but if the PNP isn’t careful, that could become a melting pot.

Recently, Basil Waite, hot under the collar in the pot, referred to persons as “some a di likkle nassy nayga dem who a call demself Labourite … ”. The late great author Tony Winkler escaped adverse comment despite repeatedly calling some Jamaicans “ole nayga” in his books, but, of course, he was using literary licence. Basil Waite has been duly shamed for using a similar term as political pejorative.

I don’t know and I don’t know

why nayga people bad-minded so!

Fifty years ago, master producer and sometime recording artiste Clancy Eccles was excoriated for that lyric in monster hit Feel Di Rhythm.

If you try to reach di top

they will want to see yu drop.

An’ if yu don’t try at all

di nayga people dem a call you ‘lazy bwoy’!

Clancy was forced to re-record the song, substituting “some deh” for “nayga”. Tony didn’t receive a tut-tut, much less political ombudsman letters.

Mikael Phillips seems to have neglected his meet-and-greet constituency obligations recently (wonder why?). He finally awoke, like Rip Van Winkle, to discover he’d missed the JLP’s promised targeting of his constituency and retaliated with a frantic tirade:

“… No Labourite can come yah and gwaan like North West Manchester a dem yard, because when we tek road, all bwoy haffi run weh, and all gyal pickney haffi tek weh demself. We have one likkle tickie-tickie a run up and dung inna North West. Me a tell him seh a one man a yard deh yah, and that’s Mikael Asher Phillips … .”

PNP faithful applauded. But the PSOJ wasn’t amused, calling Phillips’ behaviour “arrogant and vulgar”. In what context? Jamaica TODAY? Sigh. Then came the PSOJ rant’s funniest bit:

“The recent disgusting, disrespectful, and potentially dangerous outbursts by Basil Waite and Mikael Phillips ... indicate clearly PNP is still training political dinosaurs.”

Well, kiss my red, wrinkled rungus kungus mi nungus. Forty-four-year-old Basil Waite and 47-year-old Mikael Phillips are “dinosaurs”? Puh-leeeze! For years, Audley Shaw called himself ‘Man a Yard’ from political platforms without a word about “disrespect” from business classes.

On the campaign trail in Christiana (2011), Portia promised a cheering crowd, “Man who calls himself ‘Man a Yard’ soon won’t have nuh yard at all!” which is another way of saying, as did Mikael, di owna fi di yard a come. What was so “dangerous” about Mikael’s warnings? Plagiarism?

At that 2011 gathering, PNP candidate Val Wint said: “There’s a man who keeps calling himself ‘Man a Yard’ … . I tell you something … . Him affi leave the yard ... because Val Wint come to pack him, put him in a container, and ship him outta Manchester.”

It’s political puffery. Nothing more, nothing less. In my opinion, it doesn’t approach the line crossed by Damion in East Portland when he singled out his opponent for personal calumny based on her gender, class, and marital status. But I guess some guys have all the luck. So Basil and Mikael were pressured into issuing standard political ‘apologies’;\, Damion hailed as a conquered hero. Sheesh!

At least their barbs were directed at the JLP. What disturbs me most is the hysterical daily cass-cass among Comrades during this PNP leadership contest. It’s a recipe for a JLP one-party state. Bill Johnson’s comment, “JLP shouldn’t sleep well at night,” would be funny were it not so obtuse. Impartial observers KNOW:

- Governments are at their lowest popularity midterm;

- JLP isn’t campaigning; PNP has TWO ongoing campaigns;

- When JLP starts campaigning, it’ll be on ‘cyaapet’.

Yet BJ’s poll shows JLP currently in front.

JLP campaigns could include recordings of Comrades calling Comrades names and telling salacious tales out of school. No matter who wins on September 7, today’s PNP dartboards are tomorrow’s PNP general election candidates. So PNP should tek sleep mark death.

Peace and love.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.