Can political leaders be civilised with each other?
Published:Monday | December 2, 2024 | 12:07 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Politics in Jamaica is a dirty business, but that need not be in all cases. Both Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding love Jamaica and have the country’s best interests at heart. Both leaders should rise above the back and forth negative remarks aimed at each other and strive to be cordial to and respectful of one another despite their disagreements on some issues of national importance. If this were mutually and consistently done then their attitude and behaviour towards one another will be admired and emulated, by the respective teams they lead, by the general public and most importantly by Jamaica’s impressionable and vulnerable youth.
Imagine if time to time, Holness said something nice about Golding and vice versa, or Dayton Campbell said something nice about Daryl Vaz, or if Everald Warmington burst out with complimentary remarks about one or more of his People’s National Party parliamentary colleagues, as opposed to engaging in loud, angry and undignified outbursts in parliament.
It’s time for Jamaica’s two bright, ambitious and outspoken political leaders – Andrew Holness and Mark Golding – to come together in a show of unity, whenever and wherever possible; to, by all means, disagree with each other, but, do so in a polite, respectful and civilised manner; and to show the nation, the region and the world that two rival political leaders can, indeed, get along, and get along well, with one another.
Last, an African proverb states: “When the elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers”.
PATRICK GALLIMORE