Poor taste, Mrs Holness
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I THOUGHT the wife of the prime minister, Juliet Holness, made some inappropriate comments, comparing her husband to the Opposition leader at a Jamaica Labour Party constituency conference: “We lucky we have a young prime minister, a prime minister whose body is tight and firm, whose sexy caah done ... a prime minister who can run ... who intellectual and can work and nuh sleepy sleepy.”
I’m sure the PM’s wife will say her speech was taken out of context. I wonder how Mrs Holness would feel as a woman, a wife and a mother, if her husband spoke about her like that while campaigning, describing her sex appeal and looks as an attribute for representational office. It might sound funny in the moment, but it was in poor taste, and those who condone the comments are just as bad.
We can’t have different rules for men and women, and still expect mutual respect. I guarantee there would be a national outcry if a man spoke about his spouse like that in public on the campaign trail. Why not focus on Mr Holness’ attributes as a leader, his achievements and accomplishments during his tenure – I’m sure there are many! When Damion Crawford personally attacked his counterpart, AnnMarie Vaz, everyone came down on him, and rightfully so.
Yes, image matters in nearly every aspect of life, but we are much better off using politics to inspire and uplift, instead of to denigrate and belittle. Mrs Holness should also remember that she is the wife of the prime minister and first lady: she is a role model that many young people do look up to!