Letter of the Day | Jamaican politics is akin a dysfunctional family
Published:Friday | May 31, 2024 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
I recently thought of an intriguing allegory that likens the political governance in Jamaica to the dynamics of a dysfunctional family. The comparison draws parallels between the behaviour of the two major political parties, the People’s National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and their parental symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder. The symptoms include:
• reacting to criticism with rage, shame or humiliation,
• taking advantage of people to achieve goals,
• excessive feelings of self-importance,
• exaggerating achievements and talents,
• preoccupation with fantasies of success, power, beauty, intelligence or ideal love,
• unreasonable expectations of favourable treatment,
• requiring constant attention and admiration,
• disregarding the feelings of others, little ability to experience empathy,
• obsessive self-interests, and pursuit of mainly selfish goals.
This analogy gained further traction when I read a news story in The Gleaner on Monday, May 28, where Sports Minister Olivia Grange responded to accusatory statements from the political Opposition. The article highlighted her dismissal of the Opposition’s claim that she failed to recognise former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson in an Instagram post and the Opposition’s call upon the government “to explain whether they have a social media policy that streamlines official government sources, differentiating between personal and official social media pages.” As I delved into the story’s details, I couldn’t help, but notice the resemblance of certain traits of narcissistic behaviour in the actions of both sides.
The excessive need for attention and admiration, coupled with a dismissive attitude towards the feelings of others, was glaringly apparent in the handling of the situation. This raised questions about the motivation behind spinning the story and highlighted the potential impact on the public. Such behaviour, deeply ingrained in the political culture, was also evident in previous incidents, such as an Instagram post of Mr Alando Terrelonge where the faces in the wall pictures of two former Prime Ministers of Jamaica (P. J. Patterson and Portia Simpson-Miller) were blocked out with emojis, leaving only the faces of the JLP prime ministers visible.
As I reflect on this, I can’t help but draw parallels between this political narrative and that of a dysfunctional family. In such families, the children can inherit the parents’ behaviour or, in a more hopeful scenario, become enlightened and seek positive change. It’s encouraging to see Jamaica gradually moving towards the latter, hinting at a potential shift in the political landscape.
REV. FR. DONALD CHAMBERS