Michael Abrahams | A campaign of gaslighting, bullying and deception

In politics, mudslinging and propaganda are par for the course. As the election draws close, we find ourselves in the proverbial silly season, and both major parties have ramped up the silliness. What concerns me, however, is the tone of the campaign the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has embarked on.

For instance, in the JLP’s book of achievements, the setting up and funding of the Integrity Commission (IC) ‘to fight corruption’ is listed as an accomplishment. The IC’s website states that it is an offence to file a declaration late, file a false declaration, or fail to provide information requested by the organisation. The IC has stated that our prime minister has not abided by some of their rules, that they have been unable to certify his statutory declarations for four years, and that he is being investigated for illicit enrichment. It is indeed an anomalous situation. We are justified in showing concern and asking questions. But when we do, we are called ‘bad mind’ and dismissed.

The ‘bad mind’ retort, which has become a JLP mantra, is childish, and disrespectful to the Jamaican body politics. It is bullying and gaslighting. Our citizenry has a right to express opinions and ask pertinent questions. It is one thing for supporters to spout this nonsense, but when the country’s leaders, including the prime minister, descend to this abysmal level, it is unseemly. Our Transport Minister Daryl Vaz has it to another level. Some of us do have genuine concerns regarding the safety of the buses purchased for the rural school bus programme and the procurement process used to purchase them. However, Vaz has not only labelled critics ‘bad mind,’ ‘dog-heart’ and ‘wicked and evil,’ but has also gone to the trouble of wearing shirts with slogans like ‘ANTI BAD MIND.’

FAKE POSTS

A more blatant form of deception is the proliferation of fake media house social media posts. Last week, I came across two, purportedly from The Gleaner, regarding a People’s National Party (PNP) candidate. Each had a photograph of the candidate, with one accompanied by a caption stating that his assistant was reported to the police for threatening to kill a JLP activist, and the other with a caption stating that he was under fire for referring to people in the parish where he is running as ‘dunce.’ There was another ‘Gleaner’ post with a picture of Opposition Leader Mark Golding above a caption stating that his party is being criticised for spelling errors in their manifesto. The posts are all fake, manufactured to malign the party and its members. The situation is so dire that The Gleaner deemed it necessary to publish a disclaimer, informing the public that the posts are fake and were not generated by the company. Ironically, some of them are posted on a TikTok page titled ‘JLP FACTS.’ I also saw a flyer with a photograph of a PNP candidate, but with a different candidate’s name on it, posted with the comment, ‘How can we support a party that doesn’t even know their own candidates?’ That flyer was also fake. The original had the correct name.

One of the most glaring and egregious attempts at deception occurred on the platform at the JLP rally in Half Way Tree on August 10. Health Minister and JLP campaign chairman Dr Christopher Tufton played a recording with the voice of PNP stalwart KD Knight saying:

“Eediat. Yuh have to face reality. Yuh have to face reality that Mark Golding must never become prime minister of Jamaica. These realities must be faced. These are realities. These are realities. Mark Golding must never become prime minister of Jamaica.” Knight, however, claimed the recording was doctored. The alleged original recording began with Knight saying “Eediat. Yuh have to face reality. That was a major part of the loss in 2020. So we have to remedy that. There are still some people today saying that Mark Golding must never become prime minister of Jamaica. These realities must be faced.” Knight then gives examples of comments made about Golding, ending with, “These are realities. These are realities. And they cause disunity. There has to be an effort to get rid of the disunity.”

CLEARLY DIFFERENT

The recordings are clearly different, not only in content but also in tone. The first depicts Knight vociferously saying, twice, that Mark Golding must never be prime minister, as if that is his opinion. The second has him repeating what others had said about Golding and calling for unity. Veteran journalist Dionne Jackson Miller interviewed Dr Tufton on her radio programme ‘Beyond The Headlines’ two days later. Tufton admitted to hearing both recordings, but when asked by Jackson Miller if he saw a difference between the two, he replied, “No, no.”

Deception is also at play among the deluge of ribbon-cutting and groundbreaking events the Government is proudly showing off. The truth is that these ceremonies do not guarantee that the projects have been or will be completed or even started. I have been informed of at least two instances where keys were handed over to supposedly new homeowners at ribbon-cutting ceremonies, only for them to be reportedly taken back after the events as the dwellings were not in a condition to be occupied. There was also a groundbreaking ceremony where pipes were on display at the launch of a water resilience programme, only for the pipes to disappear a few weeks later.

The JLP does not need to resort to these underhanded tactics. The PNP have been a faux pas factory, perpetually scoring own goals and making unforced errors. Its members have a penchant for speaking out of turn, requiring them to backpedal or explain that their comments were misinterpreted or taken out of context. The JLP does not need to deceive, gaslight, bully, produce fake social media posts or play doctored voice notes. All it needs to do is boast of its achievements and highlight its opponent’s flaws. So, why the deception?

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams