The almost daily abusive, nonsensical statements on our political platforms ahead of parliamentary elections remind us of an age-old Jamaican saying: “Not everything good fi eat good fi talk.”

The simple translation being that some words and comments are best left unsaid.

It’s also true that we are all better off engaging our brains before speaking.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that in Jamaican politics liquid ‘spirits’ often block any engagement of the brain.

We can’t say if those spirits played a role in Mr Everald Warmington’s profanely colourful tirade in Westmoreland on Sunday.

Readers are no doubt aware that Mr Warmington, often accused of being crude and rude, used ‘bad words’ as he told Labourites to forget differences with controversial Member of Parliament Mr George Wright and instead focus on voting for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

Hence the urging from People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell — himself no saint when it comes to bellicosity on the political platform — for the police to charge Mr Warmington under existing legislation relating to profanity in public.

Mr Warmington has since apologised, declaring that his comments were “inappropriate”.

We suspect that apology was influenced by pressure from the JLP leadership.

Very disturbing also is a voice clip now circulating, said to be of the PNP’s candidate for St Elizabeth South Western Ms Miranda Wellington speaking of ‘War’ as she complained about conditions in the constituency represented by the JLP’s Mr Floyd Green.

The voice, supposedly that of Ms Wellington, told listeners: “We prepared for war… and if a war a war…”

As we have said in this space, this is the silly season with incumbents and aspirants saying all manner of things that should not be taken literally.

We do not for one moment believe that Ms Wellington or any other person hoping to win a seat in upcoming general election wants war. The trouble, though, is that the great majority of proposed candidates — incumbents and aspirants alike — and many followers, were not yet born, or, were very young when this country came to the very brink of civil war due to tribalist politics decades ago.

They have heard, but in reality know very little about those days.

Under no circumstances, even by mere word, should this country return anywhere close to those terrible times.

We note Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s appeal — perhaps motivated by Mr Warmington’s outburst — for “candidates and others representing” the JLP to conduct themselves with due regard for “the law and mores of our nation” and the “highest standards”.

We believe PNP President Mr Mark Golding should make a similar appeal to his people.

All of this brings us back to that controversial decision by the Government to subsume the independent political ombudsman’s office in the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

The independent political ombudsman may have lacked teeth, but for many years that voice, demanding morality and accountability, was heard loudly, clearly, and commanded universal respect.

It’s obvious that the Government made a bad mistake, which needs to be corrected at the earliest.