THE EDITOR, Sir:

The prime minister recently took a break from "working, working" to speak on matters of the State, only to be met with backlash from the Opposition and others.

They took a single tenet from her address and jumped all over it. It begs the question, did most people want her to speak on issues, or did they just want her to make a faux pas so they could run with it?

There are no two ways about it, Portia Simpson Miller, like a few other ministers of her time, has a case of foot-in-mouth disease. It seems her detractors know this and are ready and waiting for her to open her mouth so just the wrong thing can fly out of it.

Mrs Simpson Miller's usage of the term 'enemy of State' was simply a political quip. Banter is part of our political culture; many an election has been won with the help of it. This is not to say that anything goes, but is this statement really worth all the hullabaloo being made of it?

The PM is our leader, and aside from our responsibility to facilitate her, when we criticise her, we should do so with substantial purpose. More attention should have been paid to the rationale of the PM's criticism.

We'd be foolish not to realise that our former colonial leaders appreciate when we mess up and give them all the validation.

With regard to Mr Holness' safety, he only has to worry just about as much as the rest of us. It is clear that our criminals and self-appointed executioners already see the everyday Jamaican man, woman and child as enemies of the State.

As for Mrs Simpson Miller, I would certainly urge her and her ministers to take her own advice and be mindful that not only what they say but also what they do nationally reflects internationally.

I would also encourage her to get back to working and not to continue giving her itching detractors any more satisfaction.

KADIAN JOILES

kjgenesis@yahoo.com