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The following is by Dr. Rattray in todays gleaner:-
On Monday June 18 at 7:00 p.m., I happened to catch the news on 93.3 FM. The newsreader was reporting on the prime minister's plaintive utterances regarding the biased way that (she says) some media bosses were handling the reports submitted by journalists covering political campaigns. The radio station then played an excerpt from that speech in Brown's Town.
Although the sound byte was so muffled that nothing was discernible, the usual apology for the extremely poor quality of the piece was conspicuously absent. Because no words could be heard, it sounded like loud, high-pitched garbled shouting suggestive of hysterical ranting. The picture that it painted was reminiscent of a totally unrestrained individual engaged in fierce verbal warfare. The byte exposed the Prime Minister's remonstrative propensity and shouting capabilities while leaving the verbatim content of her speech inaudible to the listening public.
I wasamused by the radio station's broadcast of a recording that conveyed nothing but (what sounded like) a rage-filled speech, but I was also worried about the PM's inability to leave complaints and quarrels out of her campaigning. As I understand it, the Political Ombudsman, Bishop Herro Blair, is ready, willing and able to deal with precisely these sorts of emergent problems.
Violence towards journalists
It also concerned me that, in spite of all that has been said by so many people over the past few weeks, the fact that her speeches could incite violence towards journalists seems to repeatedly escape our Prime Minister. It's as if she's living in a different world, totally oblivious of just how 'ignorant' some diehard political stalwarts can be. Does anyone advise Madam PM on these matters; does she simply ignore them; is it that she just can't help herself or is she pandering to a certain set of people?
It appears to me that the characteristic tone and nature of her campaign speeches suggest that her target audience is of a certain ilk. Bussing willing and unwilling throngs to rallies, the commandeering and ragamuffin-like behaviour of some of the party faithful on the roads, pointless, pseudo-jubilant 'dancing' on-stage, loud quarrelsome complaints, finger-pointing and the same old promise-filled speeches turn off a large portion of our people. The levity and feasting atmosphere of political rallies don't impress independent, level-headed, intellectual (thinking) Jamaicans, it leaves this large group of citizens believing that the PM doesn't care about their sensibilities or their votes. She hardly seems to speak to them while on her rally jaunts. This makes them feel unappreciated, unrepresented and alienated.
Diehard voters
Party supporters will always close ranks and vote along party lines no matter who is put up to represent them. Many within the neutral zone feel that the People's National Party doesn't deserve another term because of its innumerable scandals, shortcomings and embarrassingly costly mistakes. However, they also feel that the Jamaica Labour Party is incapable of improving our woeful lot. It's these quiet people in the middle that the PNP president needs to convince that she and her party deserve their votes.
In our aggressive and confrontational society where hostility and violence are the order of the day, where disputes and disagreements are too often settled by murder; we need a leader that stands in stark contrast to the many negatives within our country. Someone needs to persuade Madam PM that her political rally demeanour only legitimises some of the behaviour that we'd like to discourage in our people. A toning down of her rhetoric would gain her wider appeal.
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Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Comments may be sent to [email protected].
On Monday June 18 at 7:00 p.m., I happened to catch the news on 93.3 FM. The newsreader was reporting on the prime minister's plaintive utterances regarding the biased way that (she says) some media bosses were handling the reports submitted by journalists covering political campaigns. The radio station then played an excerpt from that speech in Brown's Town.
Although the sound byte was so muffled that nothing was discernible, the usual apology for the extremely poor quality of the piece was conspicuously absent. Because no words could be heard, it sounded like loud, high-pitched garbled shouting suggestive of hysterical ranting. The picture that it painted was reminiscent of a totally unrestrained individual engaged in fierce verbal warfare. The byte exposed the Prime Minister's remonstrative propensity and shouting capabilities while leaving the verbatim content of her speech inaudible to the listening public.
I wasamused by the radio station's broadcast of a recording that conveyed nothing but (what sounded like) a rage-filled speech, but I was also worried about the PM's inability to leave complaints and quarrels out of her campaigning. As I understand it, the Political Ombudsman, Bishop Herro Blair, is ready, willing and able to deal with precisely these sorts of emergent problems.
Violence towards journalists
It also concerned me that, in spite of all that has been said by so many people over the past few weeks, the fact that her speeches could incite violence towards journalists seems to repeatedly escape our Prime Minister. It's as if she's living in a different world, totally oblivious of just how 'ignorant' some diehard political stalwarts can be. Does anyone advise Madam PM on these matters; does she simply ignore them; is it that she just can't help herself or is she pandering to a certain set of people?
It appears to me that the characteristic tone and nature of her campaign speeches suggest that her target audience is of a certain ilk. Bussing willing and unwilling throngs to rallies, the commandeering and ragamuffin-like behaviour of some of the party faithful on the roads, pointless, pseudo-jubilant 'dancing' on-stage, loud quarrelsome complaints, finger-pointing and the same old promise-filled speeches turn off a large portion of our people. The levity and feasting atmosphere of political rallies don't impress independent, level-headed, intellectual (thinking) Jamaicans, it leaves this large group of citizens believing that the PM doesn't care about their sensibilities or their votes. She hardly seems to speak to them while on her rally jaunts. This makes them feel unappreciated, unrepresented and alienated.
Diehard voters
Party supporters will always close ranks and vote along party lines no matter who is put up to represent them. Many within the neutral zone feel that the People's National Party doesn't deserve another term because of its innumerable scandals, shortcomings and embarrassingly costly mistakes. However, they also feel that the Jamaica Labour Party is incapable of improving our woeful lot. It's these quiet people in the middle that the PNP president needs to convince that she and her party deserve their votes.
In our aggressive and confrontational society where hostility and violence are the order of the day, where disputes and disagreements are too often settled by murder; we need a leader that stands in stark contrast to the many negatives within our country. Someone needs to persuade Madam PM that her political rally demeanour only legitimises some of the behaviour that we'd like to discourage in our people. A toning down of her rhetoric would gain her wider appeal.
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Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Comments may be sent to [email protected].