Reprehensible political meddling

THE EDITOR, Madam:

WHAT SHOULD have been the distribution of packages of groceries, ostensibly by the Government to residents under quarantine in sections of Bull Bay as a result of the coronavirus, took on a political twist.

Plastic bags emblazoned with the face of East Rural St Andrew MP with the acronym ‘JAH’ below, presumably representing the MP’s full name, were being delivered to residents of sections of Bull Bay amid shouts of party slogans. What if the MP’s name was Sharon Haye Irene Thomas, would the acronym be applicable?

In a crisis such as the COVID-19, where people’s lives are at risk, the politicisation of the distribution of the few items of viands in order to score cheap political points would have been deserving of abhorrence by fakirs.

This display is reminiscent of our sordid political past, where the politics of scarce benefits and political spoils was the order of the day.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness, Food Tor The Poor or some non-political organisation should have been entrusted to carry out the distribution exercise. But then, one could not have envisaged that 21-century politicians would be still yoked with vestiges of the fetid political past.

NURVILLE MCLEOD