They say that actions speak louder than words, and that is so true.

Dr Shane Alexis entered the political arena recently seeking to represent the people of St Mary South Eastern in the nation’s Parliament on the People’s National Party’s ticket in the upcoming by-elections. Since then he has been extolling his virtues and declaring why he is the man for the job. And so, among other things, we heard about his “SHANE” plan to uplift the constituency, and we also heard how dedicated he is to Jamaica and to the Jamaican people. He sounded convincing.

Then news broke that Dr Alexis is a Canadian citizen with a Canadian passport and also a Grenadian passport. Suddenly all that he had been saying before this revelation became empty words to me.

Here is the problem I have with this story: They say that Dr Alexis was born in Canada and came to Jamaica at age two. He is now 38 years old; so he came to Jamaica 36 years ago. I have a huge problem with Dr Alexis deciding to enter representational politics in Jamaica and not even at that point seeing the need to apply for Jamaican citizenship. To most of us that would be the common sense thing to do; a literal no-brainer.

Taking steps to obtain Jamaican citizenship prior to entering politics would, in my opinion, have been the ultimate manifestation of Dr Alexis’s professed commitment to Jamaica and to the Jamaican people, and would make all his utterances even more believable and plausible.

The fact that Dr Alexis is running for political office while still being a Canadian citizen sends many messages to me, some of which are:

(1) He has no interest whatsoever in becoming a Jamaican citizen but, notwithstanding, he will offer himself to the Jamaican people as a politician who deeply cares about Jamaica and the people of Jamaica.

(2) He is not interested in becoming a Jamaican citizen because he doesn’t really want to be formally identified with Jamaica.

(3) These gullible morons are easy game, so he will dazzle them with nice words and use them to advance his political ambitions.

Dr Alexis, you are a medical doctor, and therefore your IQ should be at least average. You knew exactly what you were doing, so I do not subscribe to some arguments I have been hearing trying to make you out to be a naïve, political neophyte who was not guided properly in this regard.

Dr Alexis told Nationwide News Network that he is a Commonwealth citizen and, therefore, under the current Jamaican Constitution, he is not doing anything illegal. He further pointed out that the People’s National Party’s hierarchy was aware of his status and that the matter had also been cleared with the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

So, Dr Alexis, there was no naivete on your part. You knew what you were doing and what you were getting into. You are no victim here. I guess that you were simply not interested in becoming a citizen of the country that you have been on the political platforms saying that you love and are totally committed to — a country with which you have been associated for 36 years.

And now that the facts are out there in the public domain and many people are saying that it does not look good, you are all of a sudden taking steps to file for citizenship. Too little, too late, Dr Alexis. That, Sir, smacks of insincerity, snobbery, hypocrisy, arrogance, and disdain, and I fully support the view that it reveals a depravity of morals and principles on the part of the members of party you seek to represent, who were aware of your status as a non-Jamaican citizen.

Those of us in Jamaica who still try to think things through, and who still uphold standards and principles, see it clearly for what it is.

Fitz Jackson, the newly appointed chairman of the People’s National Party, sees this whole thing as a non-issue and just a case of the Jamaica Labour Party grasping at straws. In addition, his party does not see this as a moral issue. But that does not surprise me at all, because the People’s National Party, in its present form, is a party teeming with arrogant, power-hungry, hypocritical, amoral people who have no respect for the Jamaican public, and so they continue to insult our intelligence every chance they get. Frankly, at this point in time, the People’s National Party is about nothing more than winning elections.

And for those Jamaicans who do not see this as a big issue, I am not surprised either, because Jamaica is fast becoming a country where anything goes; where principles, standards and good mores are being thrown out the window with lightning speed and where it is quite OK to be wrong and strong. That is the reality of life in today’s Jamaica: Our moral compass shattered.

This country urgently needs help because we are careening down a slippery slope headed for a very dark, deep abyss. Given the direction in which we seem to be headed, Vision 2030 might just be a pipe dream; a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained.

blackpearl312@gmail.com