Dear Editor,
One of the fundamental rights of a free people must be the right to self-expression. This is a right that I have come to appreciate more and more since becoming a resident of these United States of America, and one that I do not believe should be denied to people anywhere in the free world, which includes my island home Jamaica.
It is with this view in mind that I want to address government Senator A J Nicholson, who some days ago launched a scathing attack on the Jamaica Observer for reporting that the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had five years ago indicated its willingness to hear cases in Jamaica.
The Observer newspaper, to my mind, represents the voice of the people of Jamaica and allows her citizens the space and opportunity for free expression on topics and issues that are of national importance. The issue of the ongoing debate in the House regarding the Caribbean Court of Justice is one such issue, and I find the senator's chastisement of the newspaper to be completely out of line.
Senator Nicholson ought to appreciate that individuals are entitled to their views and by extension they are equally entitled to change those views based on the receipt of new information, especially when the new information successfully challenges a previously held position. It is up to the proponents on the Government side to arm themselves with information and present fact-based positions in a manner that supersedes previously held positions.
Attempting to browbeat the newspaper for presenting a view that is different from the position that he supports appears juvenile at best, and is at the very least woefully unacceptable, as it suggests that the learned senator is attempting to control the views and opinions of not only the newspaper but the thought processes of Jamaicans generally.
According to an Observer report, Nicholson, the leader of government business in the Upper House, blasted the newspaper for questioning the Government's opposition to having the electorate decide whether Jamaica should leave the United Kingdom-based Privy Council and accept the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country's final appeal court. My suggestion to Nicholson is that he perhaps needs to perform a "self-check" as it is the very arrogance that he is currently displaying that is helping to turn the views of the paper and that of people like myself.
I would like to suggest to the senator to "easy yuhself" and address the issues involved in the debate, presenting them in such a tone and manner that will be receptive as opposed to the hostility that the current behaviour engenders.
May I suggest too that it is for this reason that the current imbroglio involving Senator Malahoo-Forte has to be taken seriously as the attitude surrounding this entire debate has become less about the interests of the Jamaican people and more about personalities and the scoring of political points between competing political camps.
Perhaps, Senator Nicholson, it is this attitude that is causing more Jamaicans to rethink their approach to seeing this process through for fear of handing too much power over our constitution given the immature demonstration by our legislators on both sides of the political divide. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
My mother always said that, "Ah nuh everything wha come a yuh thought haffi come outa yuh mout."
Richard Hugh Blackford
Florida, USA
richardhblackford@gmail.com
'Easy yuhself,' AJ
-->
One of the fundamental rights of a free people must be the right to self-expression. This is a right that I have come to appreciate more and more since becoming a resident of these United States of America, and one that I do not believe should be denied to people anywhere in the free world, which includes my island home Jamaica.
It is with this view in mind that I want to address government Senator A J Nicholson, who some days ago launched a scathing attack on the Jamaica Observer for reporting that the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had five years ago indicated its willingness to hear cases in Jamaica.
The Observer newspaper, to my mind, represents the voice of the people of Jamaica and allows her citizens the space and opportunity for free expression on topics and issues that are of national importance. The issue of the ongoing debate in the House regarding the Caribbean Court of Justice is one such issue, and I find the senator's chastisement of the newspaper to be completely out of line.
Senator Nicholson ought to appreciate that individuals are entitled to their views and by extension they are equally entitled to change those views based on the receipt of new information, especially when the new information successfully challenges a previously held position. It is up to the proponents on the Government side to arm themselves with information and present fact-based positions in a manner that supersedes previously held positions.
Attempting to browbeat the newspaper for presenting a view that is different from the position that he supports appears juvenile at best, and is at the very least woefully unacceptable, as it suggests that the learned senator is attempting to control the views and opinions of not only the newspaper but the thought processes of Jamaicans generally.
According to an Observer report, Nicholson, the leader of government business in the Upper House, blasted the newspaper for questioning the Government's opposition to having the electorate decide whether Jamaica should leave the United Kingdom-based Privy Council and accept the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country's final appeal court. My suggestion to Nicholson is that he perhaps needs to perform a "self-check" as it is the very arrogance that he is currently displaying that is helping to turn the views of the paper and that of people like myself.
I would like to suggest to the senator to "easy yuhself" and address the issues involved in the debate, presenting them in such a tone and manner that will be receptive as opposed to the hostility that the current behaviour engenders.
May I suggest too that it is for this reason that the current imbroglio involving Senator Malahoo-Forte has to be taken seriously as the attitude surrounding this entire debate has become less about the interests of the Jamaican people and more about personalities and the scoring of political points between competing political camps.
Perhaps, Senator Nicholson, it is this attitude that is causing more Jamaicans to rethink their approach to seeing this process through for fear of handing too much power over our constitution given the immature demonstration by our legislators on both sides of the political divide. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
My mother always said that, "Ah nuh everything wha come a yuh thought haffi come outa yuh mout."
Richard Hugh Blackford
Florida, USA
richardhblackford@gmail.com
'Easy yuhself,' AJ
-->