Last week, in this column, we shared the remarkable story of Senator Dr Floyd Morris, a Jamaican who became a role model for how one can overcome some of the greatest adversities.

One week after telling his story, who would have ever imagined that we would have heard him being insulted in the Senate by a fellow member of the Upper House.

A media report placed on record that the incident occurred last Friday night during the debate on the national identification system (NIDS). Leader of Government Business Senator Kamina Johnson Smith made comments against her colleague which brought offence within and without the House. When a request had been made to postpone the debate, Johnson Smith had suggested that as a PhD graduate, and published author, Senator Morris, who is blind, should have been able to handle the numerous amendments which were delivered not long before the start of Friday’s sitting.

An apology was subsequently given twice by Senator Johnson Smith and accepted by Morris.

Outside the limits of the House, the public took interest and they too expressed their disapproval. It has been said that the dissonance should not have started in the first place. Perhaps the testy behaviour was caused by the back-and-forth which the particular Bill stirred up. The debate over the NIDS has attracted widespread interest, not only in the corridors of Parliament but among citizens groups. The debate kept parliamentarians to long hours as they debated the various clauses. Some people described it as “haul and pull”, and before long the term “preckeh” and “kass-kass”, useful Jamaican words, could have been used to describe the proceedings.

The NIDS story is something else. It would be interesting to know how many ‘man and woman in the street’ are taking in all of it.

For those who may not know, the NIDS has been put forward by the Government with the intention of setting up an inclusive database of all Jamaican citizens. Each citizen will receive a unique number — the national identification number — which they will be required to use when conducting business or accessing certain services.

Over recent days, representatives of various community and special interest groups have been discussing the matter and putting out their opinions. You can bet on it we will be working out the outcome for some time to come.

The complexity of doing business via Parliament is no easy matter for comprehension. “Govament”, being Government, knows what is meant by the various terms and phrases to be used within the surroundings of Gordon House, but it is not so clear to the ‘lickle man pon street’.

The promise is that the public education campaign is on the way but, until everyone is certain, much scepticism and suspicion exist in the public arena. Concerns have been raised also as to how safe the collected information will be, and the issue of fines and penalties have many people talking. With over 200 amendments to the Bill, it is hard to tell what aspects of the legislation will go forward or have been adjusted to calm the worried hearts. What then is the expected date when we can all relax and accept the accomplishment of our “Miss NIDS”?

Women in governance

As I watched the proceedings on TV the other evening, I felt the need to say congratulations to the many women now busy in the Parliament. The NIDS debate has brought to the fore some of the women who have different roles in the House. I can’t remember when I’ve seen so many interesting women occupying seats of importance in the House. Congratulations to them.

To hear the sisters speak up, making clear some of the information which at times can be wearisome was inspiring. Senator Kamina Johnson Smith and Senator Donna Scott-Motley have both sat in the Senate in previous terms. These days they are joined by senators Dr Angela Brown Burke, Sophia Frazer-Binns, Kerensia Morrison, and Dr Saphire Longmore. It is time to hear more about them and the impact they will make on our history.

While we are at it, how much do we know of the history of the roles played by women in our nation’s political development of times past? It has been heartening to see women who are articulate and dedicated in their service to the nation. The time has come to introduce a new generation of young women to familiarise them with the history of the past and to interest them in the roles of the future which await them as time moves on.

Globally, much effort is being made to prepare women of the new generation for tomorrow. Sooner or later the question will be raised as to what do we really require of our women in this new time. Should they have so many demands placed on them as they make their contribution? Should they be trained to protect themselves from the cruelty of the age, of violence which far too many of our young women are facing day by day? Or, as a friend of mine questions, is it the men who should be trained not to mete out the cruelty and violence to our womenfolk? Where do we begin? What do we continue to do? Isn’t it full time that more attention is paid to help young women to have a better chance of survival?

Barbara Gloudon is a journalist, playwright and commentator. Send comments to the Observer or gloudonb@yahoo.com.