The Jamaica Labour Party vice-chairman for the St Catherine North Western constituency Mr Millholland Barker has taken flak from Jamaica Observer readers for saying that President of the People’s National Party (PNP) Mark Golding will have a tough time wooing the electorate by virtue of his complexion, being much fairer than that of the average Jamaican.

“He (Golding) is not of the same type of colour that we have — not that I have a problem, but Jamaica is different. Jamaica likes a certain colour and, if yuh don’t have that colour, yuh inna problem,” Barker claimed on Sunday during his constituency conference held at Ewarton High School.

Here are some of the readers’ comments:

Helo Media: We’re heading into The Year of Our Lord 2022, and this is the best you can come up with?

XAMYCA: The party that claimed that it was BLACK MAN TIME surely cannot frown on this observation. Chicken coming home to roost, some would say.

OPERATION CHAOS 1962-PRESENT: Doesn’t make it right. We don’t ask for a black pilot when we are at the airport, a black doctor when we are at the hospital or a black mechanic when our cars broke down and need repairs. No wonder we have communities in Jamaica that piped water and electricity are yet to reach.

VXtruth: I absolutely believe that this is racist! It’s a prejudice built on the colour of one’s skin, and not the content of one’s character. It is this that makes it clear, that we black people have a lot to answer for. Sir, Mark Golding is a Jamaican. You ought to see fairness, in human dignity, and the value of meritocracy as a must in any stable functional operations of the society.

Polyglot: Irrespective of party allegiance, it hurts my heart to read the utterances from Mr Barker (who is barking up the wrong tree). This is Jamaica and as much as we tend to emulate “Things American” we should not align ourselves with a nauseating culture which is egged on by media houses and which is almost foreign to us. Yes, we have some socio-economic problems, including a little classism, but this notion of his is out of character and does not bode well for our country.

e Graham: The man is stating a fact. The PNP made use of Seaga’s whiteness in many elections. “My leader born ya” was directed at Seaga’s difference even though he was a Jamaican and it was said that his mother had some black blood. I think that Golding’s colour is fair game, even though I believe that he is 100% Jamaican and has the very same rights as myself

Really: I wonder why Jamaica’s motto reads – OUT OF MANY ONE PEOPLE. Some figure that because most of the population is dark skinned the others should not be given their recognition as being Jamaicans because of the colour of their skin. Isn’t that being racial openly? We are all Jamaicans and although I would not vote for the PNP ever it is wrong to discriminate against their leader because he is white.

I wanna come home: Choose to interpret the motto your way, which is your right. Another person may choose to interpret it differently. Let me try to illustrate. The Biblical story is about some god choosing one class of people as his people, NOT ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. Not the Romans, not the Egyptians, not the Chinese, not the Indians, right. A better motto would have been: OUT OF MANY WE ARE NOW ONE PEOPLE. Why the NOW ONE? Because before we were not, and I may suggest that we still are not, one people.

guest3: Ever wonder why every time a fool fool Jamaican get US citizenship she, he automatically up and vote for the racist, race-baiting, cancel culture, BLM-supporting Demoncratic Party led by the race-baiting team of leading-from-the rear team of Biden and Harris?

iceman: What does his colour got to do with anything?

Seaga’s loss at the poll was not because of his colour; his party then was not electable, the masses wanted changes and Seaga refused to relinquish leadership. In fact, Golding colour helps him, Jamaican voters love leaders with high colour, like Norman, Busta, Sangster, Michael, Eddie and Bruce.

M. George Gillings: Absolute Rubbish! Is this guy Barker from the dark ages? The political system needs to be rid of people with such BACKWARD thinking.

sue lee: What a lot of GARBAGE!!! In this 21st Century the country can’t go forward because of foolishness like these.

Jamaicans of EVERY colour or hue is still a JAMAICAN.

Kit: Although this may be the backward thinking of many, it is just racism and we should not promote it in our “out of many, ONE people” nation. I remember when Holness was laughed at by members of the PNP when he said he had ties to Africa. We should be seeking the BEST persons for jobs in leadership, regardless of their colour. This kind of thinking has no place in a Jamaica that wants to go into a prosperous future.

Mark Chue: What is so wrong if people prefer leaders of a certain complexion? For too long the mulattos and light skinned blacks have been occupying the highest levels of leadership. The article is a relevant one as it exposes the thoughts of most Jamaicans… FYI Golding is a “iron balloon” who will soon be chased out of leadership by the very same mindset the article has highlighted.

Drena: Chat rubbish. Our motto, Out of Many One People yet you have people pushing racial discrimination in these times. Some of these people should not get mikes to spew trash.

Flydude86: Ignorance at its finest!

Ellydeedo: Please to get lost with your Colour Politics and stupidity. A mentality according to which an organization or society is divided into a ruling elite and a class of workers treated as inferior, especially along racial lines is what the Holness Government has established. We are voting this time for economic development of our country disregarding the colour of a Man’s skin.

l mckoy: Rubbish! How much ‘fairer’ is he than some past party leaders? – Seaga, Manley, etc. Look at the person’s ability and willingness to do the work well.

disqus_obDUtlPjfJ: The JLP has always been colour conscious, but more so on the side of the fairer the better. A Pearnal Charles could have never led the JLP irrespective of how qualified/or unqualified he was; he did not meet the JLP colour grade. So for someone in JLP leadership to see Golding’s colour as a barrier he certainly have not read the JLP bible. Not the biggest cheer leader of Golding, but not because of his colour.

D George: Mr Millholland Barker, Mr Mark Golding is above you. I make it simple for you: he is educated and wise and you are illiterate and a big fool to utter such a baboon comment. Manley, Busta, Sangster were of light complexion and they were loved by the Jamaican people.

hapley63: The JLP needs to demote this man. Him not too sensible. We as a race complain about being judged by the colour of our skin, yet we openly do the very same at home and abroad.

wisdom40: What nonsense is this! What of Norman Manley and his family, or Busta and how could we be speaking like this in this century? Black people are our own enemies. This man at his age is preaching racism and backwardness… I think you are all (JLP) afraid of Mr Mark Golding, an attorney-at-law & leader of the Opposition, a well educated, calm, dignified, Jamaican man of integrity & great unblemished character.

Primiakov: What utter nonsense from the mouth of this senior gentleman. Somebody, please keep him away from the microphone.

jamessakku: If a PNP had spoken about skin colour with JLP the cries of lynching and crucifixion would go out about him. Damion Crawford had made a few similar remarks about Ms Vaz and the whole JLP brigade, with few exceptions, circled like crows around a carcass to discredit him. Now, hear what Mr Barker said and the JLP is silent — probably even cheering. How can anyone take these people with any seriousness!

JohnnyP: Wait, isn’t JLP the one that’s notorious for being the brown man party?

Bartholomew: What about the MPs in the JLP? Are you saying that their service is limited because of their complexion? We must eliminate those thoughts, we are Jamaicans. What if the lighter Jamaican would say he can’t employ darker Jamaican in his business. Shame on you, Sir, I don’t believe Karl Samuda and other light skinned Jamaicans support your views.

Sean H: Deny it as much as you want, out on the road it is a different story. Depending on the tone, like you or hate you, you are nice brown lady/man or red gyal/bwoy. Understand that despite the motto of “Out of many, one people”, the discriminatory practice of judging persons as not being ‘black enough’ or being ‘too black’ is alive and well in Jamaica.

Anedda One: Hogwash. These people are what’s wrong with Jamaica. This man is a leader in his community. If these are the role models that our boys have, how are we going to be better as a people? KMDT.

audley mclean: RUBBISH!!!! The popularity of Michael Manley rubbishes this idea…