PM and request for a donkey
Published:Wednesday | July 19, 2023 | 12:05 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
A video is making the rounds on social media where a lady in rural Jamaica appeared out of nowhere to ask the prime minister (PM), during a community visit in St Elizabeth, for a donkey. The PM was in St Elizabeth to hand over a house under the Government’s social housing programme and appeared bemused by the strange request for a donkey.
It seemed funny at first, but after a few seconds it was obvious the lady was quite serious. The PM acknowledged that donkeys are used by many (in the past) to transport humans and cargo. Donkeys are mostly used in places that remain underdeveloped and in a sense, still far behind. The PM eventually conceded after hearing about the plight of this lady, a farmer who has a child with special needs and was finding transportation a challenge. The woman got reassurance from the PM that she would get the donkey. Both the PM and the woman seemed quite pleased at the outcome.
In 2023 people have to rely on donkeys to get around and do what they have to do to survive. The irony is significant; poor roads, especially in farming communities, lack of public transportation, water and other basic necessities of life. Animal rights activists would bemoan the use of a donkey as a vehicle, describing it as animal abuse. I hope the PM and affiliated ministries will consider that a simple thing like a donkey is still a big deal to many in rural Jamaica, where infrastructure is poor and neglected for too long. I am sure we can do better to help to improve the lives of Jamaicans who are simply trying to live, and make a living. It should not be about a donkey, although the PM says there is nothing wrong with asking for a donkey. He acknowledged that he didn’t know where donkeys are bought and sold; perhaps he didn’t know that people still use donkeys in 2023 in Jamaica.
I have to ask the PM, will there be an official handover ceremony of the donkey? I am trying to picture the image of a donkey with a huge bow and its empty hamper basket, and the PM saddled on top riding into the community, a metaphor of life in Jamaica today and how far we’ve progressed as a country, where the reliance on a donkey is still a big deal for many.
P. CHIN