Michael Abrahams | Labourite and Comrade Almshouse

It was so ridiculous that I had to read it twice.

Last week, People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament for Clarendon South Western, Lothan Cousins, said the Government should stop “pussyfooting around” and start putting plans into action concerning the agriculture sector. The Speaker of the House, Marisa Dalrymple Philibert, was spooked by the comment and remarked, “I am sure I did not hear what I hear.” She continued: “I want to remind you and all of us that this is the highest court of the land, and that word is inappropriate to be used in here. That is my ruling.”

Opposition Leader Mark Golding pointed out that the word was not obscene but meant “act in a cautious or non-committal way”, is “plain English”, and was not offensive or derogatory. However, the Speaker obstinately refused to budge and ended the discussion by saying, “This is the highest court of the land and I have closed the argument.”

According to the Oxford Dictionary, “pussyfoot” means “to be careful or anxious about expressing your opinion in case you upset someone.”. It is not slang. It is not a vulgar word. It is, as Golding said, “plain English”.

The speaker’s declaration was one of the most asinine I have ever heard from someone in that position. It was cockamamie. (I wonder if she would ban that word, too.) Her rant, by itself, was ridiculous. However, looking at the party she is in and what that party tolerates reveals a level of hypocrisy I find intolerable. This is because the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) harbours one of the vilest persons I have ever seen in our Parliament during my 50-odd revolutions around the Sun.

I refer to Everald Warmington, St Catherine South Western member of parliament and minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation. The man is a crass and vulgar ignoramus of no mean order who his party refuses to call out for his unacceptable and offensive remarks. His latest salvo was directed at PNP councillor candidate for the Fellowship Division in Portland, Colin Bell, who attempted to join him on a tour in East Portland following protests by residents about poor road conditions, dust nuisance, and a lack of water. During an exchange, during which Bell communicated defiantly but respectfully, Warmington told him that only “chink and fly” would invite him on the tour.

DISTURBS DEEPLY

The JLP’s hypocrisy disturbs me deeply. Late last year, while on a political platform, Warmington launched a racially bigoted attack on Opposition Leader Mark Golding purely based on the colour of his skin. During his broadside, he said that Golding’s parents were a white man and a white woman from England and that if he wanted to be prime minister, he should “go back a England, Ireland, Wales or Scotland”. This type of boorish behaviour has been his modus operandi for years. His party tolerates this, but its House Speaker bans the use of a normal English word.

You would think, with the JLP’s errant behaviour, that the PNP would have got their house in order with alacrity. But they have not. They appear to have a burning desire to match the stupid utterances and disrespectful behaviour from the other side of the aisle. They are like a volcano with frequent, unpredictable eruptions. The latest spewing of ash and lava occurred after they selected Dr Alfred Dawes as the standard bearer for the St Catherine South Eastern constituency.

At the launch of his campaign, Dawes, a medical doctor, while wearing a stethoscope around his neck, pronounced dead the campaign of his rival, Alric Campbell, who had been councillor in that area for 15 years. But some in the constituency are not having it. They have stridently and vociferously objected, and after the PNP constituency office was damaged by fire, Dawes was informed that his house was next while receiving death threats directed at him and his family.

SEISMIC ACTIVITY

During a meeting at the PNP headquarters regarding the seismic activity promulgated by Dawes’ selection, a journalist was upbraided and shunned because of the colour of her pants, which was green: the JLP party colour. This behaviour did not come from a party supporter. It did not come from someone with a lowly position in the organisation. It was from the deputy general secretary of the PNP, Dexroy Martin. Yes, someone in a senior leadership position in the party took a journalist to task and was dismissive towards her over the colour of her pants. To make matters worse, during an audio recording of the incident, someone was heard issuing a threat to another person to rape them. Martin later apologised for his foolish remark, and the PNP revealed that the rape comment was not directed at the journalist but was “banter between friends” and condemned the behaviour.

At least the PNP, unlike the JLP, has the humility and decency to apologise for dumb-ass remarks. But the fact that a senior party member could even think of using the colour of a journalist’s clothes to dismiss them is very concerning. As for the rape comment, sexual assault is a very serious matter, leading one to wonder what kind of people the party is attracting.

Both parties have deeply disappointed me. The disrespectful narratives and insults are unnecessary, set a poor example for our youth, and do nothing to earn the respect of the populace. Watching them is like viewing a Netflix special that simultaneously entertains and nauseates.

Will the JLP stop pussyfooting around, dial down their arrogance, grow a pair, and develop the testicular fortitude to call out Warmington?

Will the PNP get their act together, understand the value of and get a good PR team, and present themselves as a unified and credible opposition?

Stay tuned for the next episode of “Labourite and Comrade Almshouse”.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @mikeyabrahams.