“Please bring a little more class and dignity to your utterances!”
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I think I speak on behalf of all parents and teachers when I say that it pains us to imagine the havoc you wreak on the minds of our youth as they listen to your utterances especially those in which you refer to the legal representatives of the people.
The tone of a nation is set by its supreme leader and the standards the youth will find permissible are those which are practiced by their leaders. As you are the ‘maximum leader’ your behaviour will have the greatest impact.
One gets the feeling that you think that bad behaviour on a political platform is permissible and the more scorn that is heaped on Opposition members in National Assembly the more you think you demonstrate that you are superior to your opposition.
A true leader never behaves in this way; a true leader tries to take people from where they are to raise them higher; he tries to encourage them to take a higher step on the ladder of self development. He never tries to wallow in the negativity of the lowest on the pretext that this is our culture and it therefore makes him one with them.
There are numerous examples of the latter happening throughout your tenure as leader which have made parents and teachers cringe and hope that their child or student would NEVER EVER emulate such behaviour.
Take, for instance, when from a political platform, you told your listeners that if anyone asks you about the sugar bonuses, they should “POOP ON THEM”. Would a parent consider this good behaviour if it came from his/her child? Would a teacher not punish a child for doing this?
Your comments re Obama whether serious or in jest were in very poor taste.
Quote
“Obama is a very loving, nice man; the man is friendly… If I was not a man, I woulda give …(wha she name, what he wife name?) I would give Michelle some trouble you know…. I woulda come like Monica Lewinsky of Clinton days.”
Did you not realize that young minds would see this as an excuse to become promiscuous and unfaithful? Is this your idea of a joke?
When statements like these become ringtones on cell phones then one realizes that this will be the acceptable level of our culture from now on.
This lack of sensitivity finds you grabbing your parts and shouting “Tim can’t get this!” Or using expletives when addressing a crowd….”public debt mi ass!” Or using terms like “Burn dem out” after recent fires had demolished the Venezuelan Embassy building, the building of the former Opposition leader and the Treasury Building of Nevis.
What has triggered this open letter to you is the widespread derogatory terms you are presently using towards the people’s representatives who chose to disagree with you – as they have every right to do in a true democracy.
“DEM A HOG…AH HOG DEM BE!”
This description is now widespread on the playing fields of schools as children find it normal and natural to describe their playmates in this way. This is the tone you have set, Mr. Prime Minister.
Spouting venom can in no way raise the level of discourse or development in a country. It can only breed discord and division. Please set the pace, Mr. Prime Minister. Search for what is good in a person and try to expand that. If you are not doing this, you are saying that for you to stay on top, you must push them down; this would mean that you doubt your own ability to excel…not a good trait of a leader.
Just this week, in your ASK THE PRIME MINISTER radio programme, you spent a considerable amount of time describing what ugly and demeaning traits the new leader of Team Unity had. But Mr. Prime Minister, what would have elevated you and your electorate was if you had spent time articulating your vision for the country and the measures you would take to bring relief to the people to whom the brunt of the recession, VAT and raised taxes had been passed.
After listening to you – as our Prime Minister – nationals want to feel inspired and patriotic, ready to rebuild their country. They do not want to feel vindictive and ashamed. They do not want you to incite them.
The national who made this comment after one meeting of National Assembly echoes the feeling of us all…
“I am always ashamed by the way the Ministers of Government handle disagreements in Parliament. They are always abusive and demean themselves by name calling. Poor examples, indeed.”
You are their leader, Mr. Prime Minister,
“Please bring a little more class and dignity to your utterances!”
Sincerely,
Parent/Teacher
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