Did anyone judge George Wright?

THE EDITOR, Sir:

We all saw the video in which a man violently attacked a woman, slapping her, dragging her, hitting her and beating her with what looked like a stool.

When Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton said that Jamaicans should not judge Member of Parliament George Wright, and as a Christian country, Wright should be forgiven, I was appalled and disgusted.

To this day, Wright has not denied or admitted, at least that I know of, being the man in that video. As far as I know, in order to be forgiven, one has to confess and atone for one’s sin.

People demand accountability from our elected public officials. There must be a certain standard of morals and decency among people elected to serve and make decisions about laws and governance. It can’t be anything goes, without accountability; otherwise the entire government is tainted.

More importantly, victims of domestic violence often go under the radar and blame themselves, and we cannot appear to condone any form of domestic violence.

When we give the appearance that we condone violence against women, it is hypocritical to express concern about the many women who have been abused and murdered, with their remains disposed of in bushes like trash.

There have been too many incidents and we must take a stand. The brutal murder of 20-year-old Khanice Jackson and teacher Nattalie Dawkins are just two of the many incidents of gender-based violence. Many women have gone missing, unaccounted for.

What message are we sending to the population, especially the young, when an elected public official can be tainted with such acts yet be allowed to continue serving the people? Can it be business as usual?

In progressive countries, a man like George Wright would be forced to resign immediately, no questions asked. He would be dismissed and scorned by peers. There would be no welcome or public appeal for forgiveness.

Only in Jamaica does a minister of government have the guts to stand up for a man embroiled in putting his hands violently on a woman and ask people to forgive him.

P. CHIN