Media's poor showingI think it is highly immoral for journalists to take a picture of someone sleeping, such as the Minister of Education, and to show this picture in the electronic and print media.
It is demeaning to the person and the journalist who did this should ask him or herself - if it was your mother, your aunt etc., would you like to see that person portrayed as you did with the minister. It is not cricket, is it?
I think as a country all of us still have some element of 'good manners' instilled in us from birth and surely we should not allow journalists to move away from what we have all learned from our parents, teachers etc., through the years.
- Barbara Cover
The PM and G2K adsAccording to news reports, the Prime Minister seems to have a problem with the advertisements being put out by the JLP-affiliate group G2K.
You reported her as saying she was not surprised that the Opposition had targeted her. I agree, she shouldn't be surprised! She is the Prime Minister and the President of the PNP. She is leading the party into the next election and should be held accountable for her government's and party's performance in office. Who should the advertisements 'target'? The former Prime Minister? A junior minister? A delegate in a rural constituency? And though the advertisements show that other ministers were part of the administration, the buck stops with the leader!
The Prime Minister described the advertisements as being 'nasty', but I am not sure why. They have people describing conditions in the country, clips of what she and her colleagues have said, and are quite humorous. Nobody likes to be criticised and made fun of, but criticism and making fun aren't 'nasty' per se. I believe these advertisements are well within the bounds of acceptable campaign advertising!
- Madge Gordon-Brown
Kingston 6
JLP needs a makeoverIf the PNP is victorious in the next general election, the JLP will face not only a defeat at the polls, but also a major psychological defeat. If indeed the latter remains in Opposition following the election, the party will have to do some serious overhauling of its infrastructure and image.
I would suggest that the JLP recruit some fresh young people and bid farewell to many of the 'old faces'. The JLP needs a boost in its image and this will only be accomplished with a fresh cadre of young members. The recruitment of the PNP's newest candidates, Peter Bunting, Michael Philips and Lisa Hanna, signal that the PNP is moving in this direction. The JLP must follow suit, sooner rather than later, so that it can compete effectively with a revitalised and fresh-faced PNP.
- Patrick A. Gallimore
pagalley@hotmail.com
