Dear Editor,
It is a sorely disappointing experience to witness the venomous way in which some JLP stalwarts are publicly uttering disgraceful things about their colleagues who, in truth, have served the party and the country with distinction. Is the prize of power so dazzling as to blind the competitors and rob them of their reason? They ought to be reminded of the words of the late JLP leader Hugh Shearer. He said:
"It has happened quite unfortunately that political campaigns are no longer being fought on principles and policies; but to a large
extent, politicians are indulging in rebukes and bitter character assassination. When that happens, it means that the politicians themselves are contributing to the destruction of the image of the politician.
Forty-seven years later Shearer's words have come to pass. Largely because of their own behavior, politicians have generally come to be held in low esteem. Still the self-inflicted curse continues, to the disgust of well-thinking citizens whose votes they seek. Is it any wonder that fewer and fewer persons are bothering to vote?
The politicians of today should learn another lesson from Mr Shearer and the way he and his team ran the country during that period when Jamaicans were vastly more productive and more imbued with the proud spirit of Independence. He was then telling the nation:
"As prime minister, I have three alternatives in running the country. I can stop and stagnate, go on bended knees to some foreign country and beg, or call upon on my country to face the challenges
and tackle the problems with self-respect alertness and discipline.
"I don't propose to resort to the first. I cannot be and will not be a prime minister under those circumstances. I do not propose to go hat in hand with the problems of my Jamaican people to some of the country to beg grants to bring in handouts to Jamaica. I will never be prime minister under those circumstances; somebody else, not me.
"I propose to succeed or fail on the third; that is, to rely on the self-respect, the alertness, the courage, the self discipline of my own people to tackle the problem and the challenges of our nation."
Strange. Today the very forces that have led us into this state of penury and decay of spirit are urging us to discard our pride, sell our souls and sacrifice our heritage to avoid eating the bitter fruits of their incompetence.
Ken Jones
kensjones2002@yahoo.com
Let Shearer's pride be your guide
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It is a sorely disappointing experience to witness the venomous way in which some JLP stalwarts are publicly uttering disgraceful things about their colleagues who, in truth, have served the party and the country with distinction. Is the prize of power so dazzling as to blind the competitors and rob them of their reason? They ought to be reminded of the words of the late JLP leader Hugh Shearer. He said:
"It has happened quite unfortunately that political campaigns are no longer being fought on principles and policies; but to a large
extent, politicians are indulging in rebukes and bitter character assassination. When that happens, it means that the politicians themselves are contributing to the destruction of the image of the politician.
Forty-seven years later Shearer's words have come to pass. Largely because of their own behavior, politicians have generally come to be held in low esteem. Still the self-inflicted curse continues, to the disgust of well-thinking citizens whose votes they seek. Is it any wonder that fewer and fewer persons are bothering to vote?
The politicians of today should learn another lesson from Mr Shearer and the way he and his team ran the country during that period when Jamaicans were vastly more productive and more imbued with the proud spirit of Independence. He was then telling the nation:
"As prime minister, I have three alternatives in running the country. I can stop and stagnate, go on bended knees to some foreign country and beg, or call upon on my country to face the challenges
and tackle the problems with self-respect alertness and discipline.
"I don't propose to resort to the first. I cannot be and will not be a prime minister under those circumstances. I do not propose to go hat in hand with the problems of my Jamaican people to some of the country to beg grants to bring in handouts to Jamaica. I will never be prime minister under those circumstances; somebody else, not me.
"I propose to succeed or fail on the third; that is, to rely on the self-respect, the alertness, the courage, the self discipline of my own people to tackle the problem and the challenges of our nation."
Strange. Today the very forces that have led us into this state of penury and decay of spirit are urging us to discard our pride, sell our souls and sacrifice our heritage to avoid eating the bitter fruits of their incompetence.
Ken Jones
kensjones2002@yahoo.com
Let Shearer's pride be your guide
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