Dear Editor:
This last week, throughout US traditional and social media, US Vice President Joe Biden was being vilified for once again being caught in an inappropriate photo.
At the swearing-in ceremony of the new Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, Biden was seen whispering in Carter's wife ear while resting his hands on her shoulder. At the point of time in which the photo was taken, it looked quite intimate and not the behaviour that a man occupying his office should be indulging in. However, a video would give the impression that it was an innocent gesture, but pictures are forever and they are worth one thousand words. In short, the damage was already done. This incident just serves to highlight how important it is to always think and rethink the image that we project when one is in public office.
Now, let us try to relate this to our political and cultural context. We, as a society, are more open and our social rules are much freer that in the US. However, holders of high office must at all time be cognizant of their roles as leaders and, as such, must be very circumspect with their behaviour.
It is why we place so much faith and responsibility in them. We expect them to exercise better judgment, to have the wisdom to think ahead and analyze situations for all the possible fallout from them. We expect them to have the discipline to not be mere sheep, to be strong to escape the trap of acting in the moment. This is why we follow them.
All those people who are saying Dr. Rowley is free to enjoy his Carnival however he wants have just confined him to the masses of followers. He himself has just confined himself to one who lacks better judgment and total lack of self control.
In a miscalculated blunder to appear as a man of the people, he has proven that he lacks the political nous to lead the people. This is not about how he chooses to spend his Carnival. This is not about his personal family situation. This is not about the age of the girl or whatever other issue social media is spinning this to be.
Dr Rowley should have had the knowledge and better wisdom to know this would never end well. When he woke up on Carnival Tuesday morning, I imagine it was not his intention to be caught in this political maelstrom. However, when placed in a moment to make the best decision, he failed.
As Prime Minister, these instances would be multiplied many times over. If he cannot do it for one day, how could he ever do it over the course of five years?
Kenneth Lee-Pow
Maraval