High-end vehicles and the King’s highway

“If all citizens are equal, a pedestrian has a right to the same amount of road space as somebody in a Porsche ... if all citizens are equal, somebody on a bicycle has a right to the same amount of road space as somebody in a luxury car. If all people are equal, a bus with 100 passengers has a right to a 100 times more road space than a car with one.” So says former Bogotá Mayor Enrique Peñalosa, while speaking at the Honourable Maurice Facey Lecture 2024, hosted by The C.B. Facey Foundation at the S Hotel in Kingston. This was reported in The Gleaner of October 15, 2024 under the captioned, ‘Former Bogotá Mayor advocates for people-centred development in Jamaica’.

THIS, FOR many, would not be considered a topic for a sermon, a church conference, a Bible study group, or even one of interest to many pastors. However, if we understand that the development of a people is inseparable from tailoring the built environment for all citizens, we will get why Peñalosa’s call should be of interest to people of religious faith. We too often hear a preoccupation with preparation for heaven, rather than the advancing of our local contexts as havens for heavenly affirmations of peace and justice for all.

In a culture where success is marked by name-brand vehicles and material possessions, many of us will find the Maurice Facey Lecture 2024, to be an inconvenient intrusion in our psychological spaces of progress. Who wants their high-end vehicle to be without sprawling highways and pedestrian-free traffic? Who cares about people with disabilities who are inconvenienced daily? How would you feel if upon reaching your destination in your wheelchair, you discovered that you could see your goal without reaching it? You can see it. You need to get to it. However, the built environment was not built with you in mind.

You will not hear any church group making this call; but just imagine for a moment the place and value of the speaker’s lecture which The Gleaner reported on: To create bicycle trails, for example, along Kingston’s waterfront, would be “revolutionary”, he added. He was further quoted as saying, “A bike lane is a symbol that shows a citizen on a $3,000 bicycle is equally as important as a citizen in a $3-million car”.

These are conversations which we need to have. These are conversations which members of the church should seek to advance. However, the vast majority will be moved more by getting into quarrels about which church has the best doctrines; and which church is closer to heaven; and which pastor is more conservative, and so on. Try calling for a stand in support of pedestrian traffic and a sensitively built environment and see how many religious folks would turn out.

If, however, some pastor invited people to run to Half-Way Tree to demonstrate against a clown in a drag outfit, a massive turnout of self-righteous prayer warriors would flock the streets to save Jamaica!

NATIONAL ICONS

It is a move in the right direction that the legal process is to be engaged to introduce a new national order, the Order of National Icon. Upon completion, this will be conferred on the Honourable Louise Bennett Coverley (Miss Lou) and the Honourable Robert Nesta Marley. It is very important that we understand that both Bob Marley and Louise Bennett have used their platforms to advance our nation and national pride. They have also contributed to decolonising our understanding of self while addressing negative assumptions about our music and language.

Thankfully, it will be okay for a national icon to have locks; and to be also comfortable with communicating in the Jamaican language.

THANKS TO KAMALA HARRIS

The United States of America, and indeed the world, will owe a debt of gratitude to Vice President Kamala Harris, now a presidential candidate in the US elections. She has invested substantial time and qualitative effort in informing the nation about the crises at hand. Many so-called seers and prophets do not even realise the plight that faces the world where the epitome of evil races to overtake our better humanity! This is what happens when moral integrity is sacrificed and Kingdom values of justice, peace, and love are ignored.

When President Kamala Harris steps into the White House, on the first day of business, may we understand that our duty must continue to be holding the leader of the free world accountable for the ideals of democracy. This is because those who hold power ought of necessity to be challenged to always advance the ideals of good governance, justice, peace, and human rights for all.

Here in Jamaica, we must beware of silence, where any political party is becoming a cult of personality. There is much to learn from the political landscape of the USA. There is also much to learn from religious landscapes. A recent meme doing the social media rounds, has been very telling: “Christians warn about the Anti-Christ for 2,000 years, and when he shows up, they buy a Bible from him.”