Orville Taylor | Backing up chat or backtracking

Like the governor of the Bank of Jamaica, Richard Byles, one must take responsibility for the comments one made earlier. Of course, when it looks as if there is dissonance between what one said in the first and second instances, then, one is either disingenuous, had a revision of ideas, or simply needs to clarify.

The problem with making a statement from a particular platform is that often, the individual is seen as a messenger from a certain interest group, rather as a speaker in his own right.

Nominally, the governor of the Bank of Jamaica is independent of the minister of finance and thus, the prime minister. Not too dissimilarly, the commissioner of police is, on paper, not subject to the operational dictates of the minister of national security. And for good measure, His Majesty’s representative, our beloved governor general, is not under the direct authority of the elected leader of the country. In fact, if I may stretch the conversation further, our director of public prosecutions is not under the de jure authority of any government official.

However, perception and reality are often strange bedfellows, if they sleep in the same room at all. Therefore, in the court of public opinion, it is easy for a hard-working independent public servant, who is an expert in her field, to make a statement or declaration which does not come across to the reasonable bystander as being simply carrying a narrative in support of the powers that be.

It certainly doesn’t help either, that on the occasions when public servants speak up and use language which appears to criticise government practice, if not policy, the chair is removed from under them and they are benched and silenced. Thus, the antithesis of the muzzled ox who grinds the grain is the sheepdog who barks and nips at the heels of the sheep according to his master’s will.

PERCEPTION

Now, this is all about perception and when Byles made a declaration months ago, which seemed to show comfort with the massive increases given to elected officials, everyone, including organised labour, was on tiptoes.

So, for Byles to now make the statement, very reasonable on the surface, that there should be some sort of wage guidelines and restrictions on wage increases, the indignation and outrage is understandable. While it is doubtless that the economic logic of wage increases fuelling inflation is spot on, I have to be in full agreement with Metry Seaga, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, who referred to Byles’ comments as “insensitive”. Given my respect for his work, I bloody my tongue to resist using another adjective or noun from my lexicon. As with Byles, silence this time would be golden; and in the middle of the battle, it is best to simply call for ‘cree!’.

But back to my own speech. Challenging a reputable track and field expert, my predictions for the World Championships were for double figures, with 15 not being impossible, though wishful.

Yes, I was wrong about both 100 metres races, and though stunned by Sha’Carri Richardson running the race of her life in beating Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price and Shericka Jackson, my prediction for a non-American winner in the men’s race came back to haunt me, though. Seville, had he been more acute than Oblique at the finish line, he would not have missed the podium by one-hundredth of a second.

And, the injury to Jaydon Hibbert, in the men’s triple jump, and the fall by Rasheed Broadbell in the 110 metres hurdles were both unpredictable. Someone said, unless one has something good to say, then say nothing. Thus, I will resist the temptation of commenting on the mixed 4x400 relay.

Needless to say, there have been some disappointments.

SILENCED NAYSAYERS

Yet, Danielle Williams, retracing her 2015 steps in the 100 metres hurdles, silenced the naysayers and ‘bruck Jamaica’s ducks’, winning our first gold medal. Predictably, Shericka Jackson’s championships record, though I predicted the world record, her 21.41 puts her out of the reach of every single woman alive now.

With outstanding performances from the trio of Wayne Pinnock, Corey McLeod and Tajay Gayle, in the long jump, Rushell Clayton in the women’s 400 metres hurdles, Hansle Parchment, who held up my ‘sciance’ for a great silver, my forecasts were not completely unjustified.

I am in my ackee. And congratulations to every single person who never medalled. Like most critics, I can only throw words, run my mouth and jump to conclusion; because a mycotic infection of the toes makes my feet athlete; not me

Yet, let me take you back to my comments in my column of May 23, 2021, titled ‘Shooting down young Watson’. In that article, my remarks were that young Antonio Watson should have been mildly reprimanded and guided. Fact is, my comments regarding Richardson at the time were also similar. Watson has delivered big time. Channelling the spirit of a young Bertland Cameron, who returned to Helsinki, 40 years earlier, as Cameron himself did with George Rhoden, Herb McKinley and the 4x400 quartet, he won the 400 metres in a smart 44.22 seconds.

There is a certain kind of responsibility that comes with being in positions of influence and having responsibility for the lives of (young) people. This is indispensable when it comes to people of colour. Jackson and Fraser-Pryce understand the larger picture in embracing and offering their arms to our young sister Richardson. Good words at the right time change lives.

Today it is not simply about the number of medals, although I suspect that by the time you have read this, we would have won four more from the relays, thus taking us to 13.

It’s about timing one’s speech.

Dr Orville Taylor is senior lecturer at the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.