The Editor, Sir:

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has ways of expressing himself that could be called 'tracing' in the Jamaican context. He may find that if he wants to work closely with people, then a label today might become an obstacle to progress tomorrow. For example, the prime minister might want to reconsider statements such as:

1. "Is pure red eye and 'grudgefulness' " - referring to critics of Usain Bolt. Today, Jamaicans and many athletics enthusiasts around the globe love Usain; however, public figures need skills of dealing with criticism while retaining dignity. Usain has taken the high road with respect to critics who, after all, are only exercising their right to express their opinions. Indeed, Usain's popularity seems to have risen with the attempts at negative publicity.

2. "We are not going to allow schools to find some other way of extorting" - referring to education administrators seeking to raise money for education. Golding might have been wiser to adopt a problem-solving mode rather than indulge in 'throw-word' confrontation, given Jamaica's current challenges in education.

3. "I get a sense that what we really ought to do is go in with some powder puffs, to persuade [criminals] that they must stop killing off people" - with reference to human rights groups that expressed concern about his 2008 crime initiative. Golding gave an unfortunate impression of attacking the messengers rather than addressing the problem of balancing security and liberty.

4. "The PNP suffers from a kind of intellectual depravity, it's as if termites have infected their brains" - referring to the Opposition People's National Party. Words like these may energise partisans on the campaign trail, but they can also erode trust when matters of state require collaboration between the Government and Opposition.

In a country in which a 'dis' can be lethal, the prime minister needs to recognise his role in creating more productive forms of dialogue. Hopefully, he will, in future, use his considerable intellect to focus less on 'tracing' and more on reasoned discussion of issues.

I am, etc.,

YVONNE McCALLA

SOBERS

sobersy@yahoo.com