A recent news report by the CVM has yet again caught the
attention of the populace. This is not a ‘cliftwang’ incident nor is it a
‘thirty thousand dresser’ incident; it is our prime minister embarrassing
herself after a reporter asked her a question about the tax levy. Our prime
minister has been chastised from the time she made this statement: “mi nuh
fraida no man, no gyal, nuhwhere!” Her behaviors overtime have been questioned
by the masses and I am led to ask the question, is this type of leader we want
to lead our country?
Portia Simpson-Miller has made history, being the first
female prime minister in Jamaica and this is a significant achievement that
cannot be overlooked. She has been an inspiration to many Jamaican females and
she has also gain the respect of many men. Most recently, Prime Minister
Simpson Miller was inducted into the International Women’s Forum (IWF) Hall of
Fame at the IWF Leadership Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The IWF said the
award was in recognition of the “incredible impact that women of courage,
creativity and passion have made towards improving society, inspiring
others and building better leadership in the world”.
Though she has been recognized internationally for her achievements
and impact she has on society, our prime minister however, is not perfect.
During election time, G2K has put together a video that features our prime
minister in her most embarrassing moments. Among them are the time when she was
making a speech and it blew away and she could not move forward. This was
embarrassing! Recently, she could hardly answer the question asked by the
reporter, she was rambling, having not a clue what to say, this was indicative
of ‘ignorance’. Not in the illiterate sense, but in the sense that she has no
understanding of the levy, so she could not explain it. If that was the case
she could have simply said so. However, we would want to know how is it that
she being the prime minister did not understand the tax and its implications.
Our prime minister was also chastised for her 25 trips over
the last two years which amount to about J$117.8 million. J$6.5 million was spent
on a seven-day visit Ethiopia in May 2013 for the 50th anniversary celebrations
of the Organisation of African States (OAS)/African Union. Her rationale was
that ‘the African blood runs deep in my veins…’ it is also running in many of
us veins, so why didn’t she take us? I do admire her for achievements, but time
and time again she keeps embarrassing herself on national TV and it is not appealing. Our prime minister needs to demonstrate good public speaking skills because
the state of our country is reflective of its leaders.
Kenroy Davis is an educator and commentator on social issues. Email feedback to: kenroy.davis20@gmail.com
