Dear Editor,

If there were to be an “irie” leader, then one would expect him or her to be birthed and/or raised in Jamaica, the birthplace of irie.

However, our Jamaican political leaders keep on presenting themselves as being woefully “un-irie” despite their attempts to appear otherwise.

Unfortunately, our Jamaican people have also lost that irie edge, sharpening it only when there is the possibility of directly benefiting from it. As a result, our leaders and too many of our people would make our expert conniving fabled character Bredda Anansi proud. What, though, would an irie leader look like?

The late John Magufuli, former Tanzanian president (2015-2021), would be a prime contemporary example of an irie leader. Prime Minister Magufuli slashed his own presidential salary from US$15,000 monthly to US$6,000 and trimmed his Government. He then set out to remodel the nation’s industrial and financial sectors with policies which translated to tangible prosperity for the Tanzanian people, so much so that he received accolades from premier Tanzanian universities in recognition of his remarkable work on the nation’s economy.

He was also a staunch critic of the novel coronavirus pandemic, not merely for the sake of defiance, but having a background in natural sciences, he sought to prove the “insincerity” of proponents of the pandemic narrative when polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19 on mock test samples, such as ketchup, returned positive.

He also graciously “prophesied” that his nation would become the “breadbasket” refuge of Africa as they would keep producing whilst COVID-19-prompted lockdowns and slowdowns ravaged the rest of the African continent.

His spirituality formed the basis of his irie-ness, and he urged his people to believe not in him, a creation, but in a higher calling. Irrespective of how President Magufuli truly died, Grammy-award winning rapper Coolio said it best in his 1997 song, “Homeboy, why does it seem that the good brothers always die and the evil brothers live and prosper and multiply?”

Other acts of irie coming from men of power include the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s winding back the national clock by half an hour due to changes in daylight brought on by the winter solstice to allow children to sleep longer in preparation for school.

Also, Pope Francis rode the public bus, mingling with the common man until he was ‘forced’ into a more “controlled” way of going about his and his Father’s business.

How about Member of Parliament Julian Robinson bicycling to the nomination station, with protective helmet and all, two nomination days ago.

Come on, Jamaica! We need to see more irie than Anansi from our leaders.

Andre O Sheppy

Norwood, St James

astrangely@outlook.com