Christian tradition, specifically Catholic theology, teaches that there are seven deadly sins. These are envy, gluttony, greed or avarice, lust, pride, sloth, and wrath.

I don’t remember who, but decades ago someone developed an allegorical image depicting the human heart subject to the seven deadly sins, each represented by an animal — toad = avarice; snake = envy; lion = wrath; snail = sloth; pig = gluttony; goat = lust; and the peacock = pride. Anyway, I am focusing on envy, here. In local parlance we call envy ‘badmind’.

Many scholars, including Arthur C Brooks, professor of the practice of nonprofit and public leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, agree that, “envy is the only one of the seven deadly sins that does not give the sinner even momentary pleasure”. Professor Brooks says: “We are apt to be happiest when we are least envious.”

His book, Love your enemies: How decent people can save America from the Culture of Contempt is a very good read on how to divorce oneself from the corrosion of envy.

In my piece on May 27, 2023, I said, among other things: “[I]ncessant attempts to prick political blood, specifically from Prime Minister Andrew Holness, key members of his Administration, and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), in general, by Mark Golding, has not only failed, they have failed miserably.

The term “pricking political blood” was coined by Roy Jenkins, a British politician. In my view one of the ablest who never became prime minister. As we draw nearer to the holding of our 19th general election, due in the latter part of next year, the pricking of political blood will quadruple. The signs are already very obvious.

I believe a severely corrosive strain of badmind has taken over the leadership of the People’s National Party (PNP). As I see it, the PNP has turned up disparagement to full blast. This is not good for our politics and future.

We don’t yet have democratic institutions and/or other related self-correction mechanisms with hundreds of years of maturity like those in the USA, UK, and other Western liberal democracies which we model. Most countries like Jamaica have been independent for less than 60 years. These realities must concern us.

Many decades ago celebrated poet William Butler Yeats, in his seminal work
The Second Coming, asked: “And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” I believe that beast in today’s politics is the dwarfing and, in many instances, the total absence of “intelligent praise” in global politics. The devaluation and systematic delegitimisation of intelligent praise is evident in the rise of extreme far-right populism which is sweeping across many countries, especially in Europe.

Weaponising of corrosive badmind is the primary reason for the rise. The poster child for this is Donald J Trump, who is threatening to rip apart America at the core of her foundations. These realities must concern us. It is often said when America catches a cold Jamaica gets pneumonia; I would add Europe. Several countries in Europe have crucial elections this year. As I see it, hard-right victories will negatively impact Jamaica’s trading relationships.

Far-right leaders, like France’s Marine Le Pen, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and Argentina’s Javier Milei, are not your regular garden variety political leaders. Orbán has mercilessly thwarted press freedom. Le Pen has overtly supported racist utterances. Meloni has put pressure on press freedom and women’s rights. And Milei is said to be South and Latin America’s salesman for far-right doctrinaire. These realities need to concern us in Jamaica.

Here at home we see a rapid slump in the quality of public political discourse. This is a sign of hard-right techniques being forcefully inserted into our politics, I believe. Worshippers of the lowest common denominator are aplenty on social media. Some sit anxiously waiting for the next incident that can be thumped into viral outrage. Where natural occurrences do not aid and abet their grubby designs and objectives, ‘outrage’ is manufactured. We must remain wide awake.

Believe it, there are those who want to make human snarling a national pastime. They aim to simultaneously corrupt, especially, the unsuspecting with envy. Why? Via the old trick of divide, then rule; that is how they plan to get power. They will not succeed. Why? Most Jamaicans are not envious by nature. We are, by and large, an aspirational people. Aspirational tendencies are more prominent in our culture than badmind. Those who stoke badmind do not understand this, it seems.

Magnanimity in politics has its place. When an opponent, not enemy, does something good for Jamaica, it must be acknowledged. Those who are deliberately attempting to reduce our politics to a saw-like edge must not receive any embrace.

Consider this: “Peter Bunting labels SPARK (Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network) programme as a con.”

The news item said among other things: “Opposition Spokesman on national security, Senator Peter Bunting has labelled the Government’s ongoing road improvement programme, SPARK, as a massive con. Bunting made the stark claim at a PNP Divisional Conference in Junction, St Elizabeth, on Sunday.” (
Nationwide News Network, June 17, 2024)

Consider this too: “Bunting, who was speaking on a political platform over the weekend, said ‘Dem run this likkle con business weh dem talking bout SPARK programme’ while lamenting that, despite the Government’s indications that the programme is transparent, he believes Chinese companies will be awarded the majority of contracts under the initiative. “Dem done know who a get the contracts already…me a prophesy say is a Chinese company a get dat contract,” he said, while also claiming that the Government will be using the programme’s funds to finance the upcoming election. ‘You mark my word, the JLP [Jamaica Labour Party] a go nyam out most a dat money,’ Bunting alleged.” (Jamaica Observer, June 18, 2024)

Robert Morgan, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic, Growth and Job Creation with the responsibility for works, said on radio last Monday that oversight of the mentioned programme is provided by local and international bodies which are not staffed by politicians.

So on what basis did Bunting arrive at what sounds like clairvoyant conclusions riveted in a residual past which I believe, is largely in the rear view mirror, of government procedures today? Speaking of mirrors, it sounds to me like Bunting was indeed looking into a mirror of the PNP.

What do I mean? Recall this item: “Speaking at a PNP North West St Andrew constituency conference on Sunday, [Finance and Planning Minister Dr Omar Davies] said the Government made public spending decisions during the election campaign knowing they were financially unsound.” (The Gleaner, February 14, 2003)

Bunting, in seeking to prick political blood, ignored one of the cardinal rules of good politics, that of intelligent praise. His broadside sounded like badmind on steroids. Bunting, to me, should have used his time on the soapbox to pinpoint how a future PNP Administration would improve the operations of the mentioned and related programmes. The fact that he did not, reiterates that the PNP’s policy gauge is on empty or near it. This is a harbinger.

I have said this before, but it bears repeating. The PNP needs to tell us how they will enable our economy to grow faster; solve the long-standing problems of crime, education, social decay, and they need to provide funding evidence.

And there is something else. Not for the first time, Bunting has made statements which seem to inveigh against Chinese investors here. Recall this: “ ‘Fifty-five years of our Independence from Britain, many Jamaicans are concerned that we are once again undergoing a new form of colonialism — a form of economic colonialism by Chinese operating in Jamaica,’ Bunting said, further claiming that there is strong evidence in the construction sector.

“ ‘They come into Jamaica, typically, on the basis of concessionary financing for government projects… and they get all sorts of duty concessions on imported machinery and equipment. And they get to buy local inputs free of GCT [General Consumption Tax),’ Bunting stated.” (The Gleaner, August 9, 20170 Minus facts this is envy baiting.

More Brits

Accounts in the public domain say Julian Robinson, the Opposition spokesperson on finance and the public service and Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew South Eastern since 2011, is a good MP. Public domain data show that there is far less positive support for him on the matter of strengths relative to his spokesperson assignment of finance and the public service. One explanation might well be that he is being measured against Dr Nigel Clarke, minister of finance and the public service, one of the best in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Robinson made a surprising revelation last week. Robinson, like his party leader, is a British citizen. A future PNP Administration could conceivably have a prime minister who is a British citizen and finance minister who is also a British citizen. This must concern us. Has either renounced? No!

Garfield Higgins is an educator, journalist, and a senior advisor to the minister of education and youth. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.