Greg Christie progressive, prophetic

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Dear Editor,

My impression of Greg Christie is not that he is "forthtelling" or foretelling certain truths, but like the 8th century Old Testament prophets, he is serious about social justice, righteousness and ethical concerns in sensitive areas. I resonate with the progressive style of the contractor general whose prophetic awareness is needed urgently in our Jamaican cultural mores and folk ways.

Greg Christie has a healthy new system of meaning, where he is able to expose and appreciate the hidden consciousness of who we are as a people. Fortunately, he inculcates a new self-perception and self-definition, where he is not perceiving the Jamaican as an object, but in the language of the Rev Ashley Smith, the contractor general is telling Jamaican civil servants that they need to see themselves as subject, sharing fully in the creation of history.

I appreciate the concerns of Minister Vaz and Patrick Rousseau, with regard to the perception of some of the talented civil servants, but we have to realise that Greg Christie is a person who is bringing a management morality to the civil service, not only because he inculcates a healthy view of himself, but he is telling all of us to liberate ourselves from misgivings, corruption and prejudices, and have a vision to fashion a new Jamaican community, because it is impossible to create a new community where Jamaicans have doubts with regard to the authentic social order.

Therefore we must rise to the occasion, where we are able to achieve dignity, moral rectitude and a life that is truly human.

Revd Canon Ernle P Gordon

gordfm@yahoo.com