I wrestled with this topic for some time before settling on it, as the more I thought about it the more I became convinced that it should be reworded as ‘The hypocrisy of politics’. According to the Oxford Dictionary, “hypocrisy” is the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.

With respect to politics,
Wikipedia describes “political hypocrisy” or “hypocrisy in policy” as any discrepancy between what a political party claims and the practices the party is trying to hide. Modern political debate is often characterised by accusations and counter-accusations of hypocrisy.

Given the very nature of politics, it is safe to say that every politician, at one time or another, is likely to be a hypocrite, in the same way that all political parties have been involved in various forms of hypocrisy. This is why John Public oftentimes scoffs at self-righteous politicians who point fingers at their opponents in a most sanctimonious manner. To put it bluntly, they all have sinned when it suited them.

Some years ago a certain female politician was subjected to much rejection and derision from voters she was wooing when it was discovered that she would hastily sanitise her hands in disgust after having gone through a handshaking exercise on the hustings. This was, of course, before COVID-19; however, just the thought of her scorning her constituents was too much for them to handle.

Then there was a male politician whose wife would burn all the clothes that he wore on the campaign trail. While these may be extreme cases of hypocrisy, there is the general practice of “fooling up” the people, and we are now in that silly season as both the local government and general elections draw near.

In the final analysis, most, if not all, politicians wear masks of hypocrisy which are intended to conceal or deceive and must always be removed. In this vein, the British politician John Morley expressed his concerns about the triumph of the political spirit, which he defines as the abandonment of principles and the willingness of politicians of all stripes to dissimulate and compromise in the name of the party. On the other hand,
Wikipedia quotes the English philosopher Francis Bacon as believing that wisdom is “striking the correct balance between honesty and deception so that one’s reputation for honesty and their ability to deceive are both preserved”.

In 2011, when I ran on a People’s National Party (PNP) platform for the newly minted St James Central seat, I stressed in my acceptance speech at a constituency conference that I would not, if elected Member of Parliament, be entertaining any “licky-licky or nyammi-nyammi” politics. I was subsequently condemned and even mocked by some of my colleagues as well as opponents in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) who said I would not and could not win the seat by spouting such suicidal rhetoric. Well I did win the seat, but in the long run the “licky-licky”/”nyammi-nyammi” practice, which was so in grained in the body politic, got the better of me, and although I struggled for the most part to stick to my stance, I was forced to play the hypocrite, which, quite frankly, was one of the reasons I quietly made the decision to exit representational politics when the opportunity presented itself.

PNP president and Opposition Leader Mark Golding at the party’s last annual conference declared that he had not come to scrape but to serve. No doubt he was casting stones at JLP leader and Prime Minister Andrew Holness. But will Golding be able to vouch for all of his colleagues who ascend to representational office? Surely if that were never to be the case it would be the heights of hypocrisy on display! In the same way that the JLP continues to preach prosperity for all Jamaicans when, in essence, only the privileged few are benefiting in real terms, while the PNP pursues the mantra of “we put people first” then “run with it!”

Meanwhile, the prime minister is still being seen in the eyes of many Jamaicans as a hypocrite when it comes to the issue of tackling crime and violence in the society based on that now-infamous speech he made on a political platform promising that if the JLP were elected, citizens would be able to sleep with their doors and windows open, or words to that effect.

Again, quoting
Wikipedia, “The notion of hypocrisy has its origin in the theatre. The Greek word “hypokrisis” meant “acting”, and the first hypocrites were classical theatre actors. As a result, the phrase was first used to describe the theatrical function of appearing to be someone else. As an attempt to separate one’s personal behaviour from the standards that apply to everyone else, hypocrisy, in its pejorative connotation, always implies some form of deception. American political journalist Michael Gerson says that political hypocrisy is “the conscious use of a mask to fool the public and gain political benefit”.

In this election season many hypocrites will be at large, not just those seeking to be elected but also their supporters. So leaders and followers alike will be out and about playing the hypocrite. But then again, as former US president Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

In this context, the Jamaican people need to wake up and become more discerning as they examine the utterances and policies of political aspirants. Be reminded that a promise is oftentimes a comfort to a fool, and as for those who become inebriated by “freeness” and party slogans, take note that “Tom drunk but Tom no fool.”

Finally, in this age of misinformation and disinformation versus information, when propaganda and social media shenanigans make the truth an endangered species, hypocrisy shall remain a clear and present danger. Beware!

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for the past 48 years. He has served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.