Dear Editor,
After reading the column entitled 'Foolish articulate minority' by Marlando Francis in the Daily Observer edition of October 7, 2015, I felt compelled to respond to some misconceptions as to what the "articulate minority" is about.
First, the issue of voting. In all strata of Jamaican life there will be voters and non-voters. Even some diehards say they won't vote because they don't like a particular candidate. So to say that the articulate minority doesn't vote is not providing a full view of the picture. Second, the movement is about advocacy and is not a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) thing, as some would have you to believe. Proponents of the movement were just as vocal about Andrew Holness and the 'letters' debacle as they were about Portia Simpson Miller and her stance on accountability within the party she leads. So to say that it's a JLP affiliate is patently false.
The movement, in layman's terms, is simply to get people to take pride in the country at large, and to let it be known to our political leaders that the days of people just sitting by the wayside and allowing free rein, without accountability, are over. This idea goes beyond just voting. It also includes discussions of pertinent issues of governance, which is a big taboo in most of our discourse, even though said issues affect us moreso than the political class. That was why, for example, the minister could brush aside concerns regarding fiscal discipline and accountability when he coined the phrase. Little did he know he was sowing the seeds of the movement then.
The next step in the evolution of the movement will undoubtedly be to increase our numbers as there is strength in numbers. To do that, however, we need to let people be aware of what our goals and objectives are, how it impacts them, and how it impacts the nation at large; as I am trying to do now. In addition, we must galvanise ourselves around certain principles and rules of conduct so as not to feed into the frenzies to be just keyboard warriors with nothing better to do. Invariably, those comments will be made; however, what we represent is a challenge to the status quo.
The status quo has got us $2 trillion plus in debt. The status quo has made us top five in homicides in the world per 100,000 people. The status quo sees us ranked among the most corrupt in the world.
The challenge is not just to the political class, as the other classes have tacitly supported what has been dished out to us over the years by our leaders, which is why it continues today. Each class has a different challenge which will be addressed in due time, and if successful, should lay the groundwork for a better Jamaica.
L Thomas
Spanish Town, St Catherine
baddabada@gmail.com
Articulate minority not a JLP thing
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After reading the column entitled 'Foolish articulate minority' by Marlando Francis in the Daily Observer edition of October 7, 2015, I felt compelled to respond to some misconceptions as to what the "articulate minority" is about.
First, the issue of voting. In all strata of Jamaican life there will be voters and non-voters. Even some diehards say they won't vote because they don't like a particular candidate. So to say that the articulate minority doesn't vote is not providing a full view of the picture. Second, the movement is about advocacy and is not a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) thing, as some would have you to believe. Proponents of the movement were just as vocal about Andrew Holness and the 'letters' debacle as they were about Portia Simpson Miller and her stance on accountability within the party she leads. So to say that it's a JLP affiliate is patently false.
The movement, in layman's terms, is simply to get people to take pride in the country at large, and to let it be known to our political leaders that the days of people just sitting by the wayside and allowing free rein, without accountability, are over. This idea goes beyond just voting. It also includes discussions of pertinent issues of governance, which is a big taboo in most of our discourse, even though said issues affect us moreso than the political class. That was why, for example, the minister could brush aside concerns regarding fiscal discipline and accountability when he coined the phrase. Little did he know he was sowing the seeds of the movement then.
The next step in the evolution of the movement will undoubtedly be to increase our numbers as there is strength in numbers. To do that, however, we need to let people be aware of what our goals and objectives are, how it impacts them, and how it impacts the nation at large; as I am trying to do now. In addition, we must galvanise ourselves around certain principles and rules of conduct so as not to feed into the frenzies to be just keyboard warriors with nothing better to do. Invariably, those comments will be made; however, what we represent is a challenge to the status quo.
The status quo has got us $2 trillion plus in debt. The status quo has made us top five in homicides in the world per 100,000 people. The status quo sees us ranked among the most corrupt in the world.
The challenge is not just to the political class, as the other classes have tacitly supported what has been dished out to us over the years by our leaders, which is why it continues today. Each class has a different challenge which will be addressed in due time, and if successful, should lay the groundwork for a better Jamaica.
L Thomas
Spanish Town, St Catherine
baddabada@gmail.com
Articulate minority not a JLP thing
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