Dear Editor,

Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke is one who is admired on both sides of the political divide.

As a matter of fact, ardent supporters of even the Opposition People’s National Party admire and appreciate the work that he has done in his capacity as finance minister in leading the recovery from the recent pandemic. Additionally, he was and is still seen in many quarters as a rising star within the Jamaica Labour Party and a possible future candidate for leadership of the party.

Therefore, I wholeheartedly disagree with the minister’s refusal to retract and subsequently apologise for his “Massa Mark” comment. His motive for not wanting to abjure such a sensitive reference is unacceptable.

According to media reports, Dr Clarke suggests that a withdrawal of such reference to Opposition Leader Mark Golding would be an acceptance of the usage of Massa Mark as a racist allusion. The fact that a vast majority of Jamaicans are of African descent or have some cultural ties to the African continent, coupled with our storied and unfortunate history of enslavement, that reference would have inevitably left a bad taste in our mouths. As a result, any statement that can be interpreted or misinterpreted as having racial connotations must be expunged from our daily usage, especially in the House of Parliament where our leaders meet.

An apology to the Opposition leader may be a bit too late now as the horse has gone through the gate already. He had the opportunity to do so but sought to justify his reference to Golding in a manner that reeks of imperiousness. He now needs to publicly voice an apology to the people of Jamaica, especially those of African descent and those who found his latest assertions in Parliament to be quite insensitive and pompous.

We live in a globalised world, where access to information is literally at our fingertips, and as a result his statement would have reverberated to the four corners of Jamaica, and perhaps the world, by now. Is there the political will to go against tradition or will the minister continue on his trajectory of defiance?

Over to you, Dr Clarke.

Mikhail A Graham

mikhailgraham@yahoo.com