The xenophobic Mr Smith, Gleaner Editorial

the Gleaner is on a roll today it seems here is the editiorial

Good sense, or the display of it, is not a prerequisite for democratic participation. And, nor are illogical or crass and vulgar display of stupidity automatic grounds for expulsion from the Jamaican legislature.

Which, perhaps, is good news for the member of Parliament for South West St Ann, Ernest Smith, who, away from intellectually sterile episodes in the House of Parliament, makes his living as a defence attorney. His profession, as a lawyer, is predicated on concepts of fairness and the protection of the rights of individuals against the overreaching arm of the State, such as the time when Mr Smith's law offices were raided by agents of the State and documents confiscated, in clear breach of client-lawyer privilege.

Mr Smith, apparently, does not think, or if he does, not with any depth, of his role as a legislator or the relationship between his job as an MP or the space he occupies in the judicial process. Nor do we sense that he is particularly engaged with expansive issues of human rights, the relationship and balance between the State and the individual and, in the broader sense, the expansion of people's rights and freedoms.

Hate

So, one day last week, Mr Smith used his platform in the House to spout puny ideas, bordering on xenophobia and a call to hate against a group of people whose lifestyles he disapproves of - gays. And his comments, taken to their logical conclusion, would see some people deprived of fundamental constitutional rights and protections.

Section 23 (1) of the Jamaican Constitution affords all citizens the right of "freedom of peaceful assembly and association", which includes the right to peacefully "associate with other persons and, in particular, to form or belong to trade unions or OTHER associations for the protection of their interests". But Mr Smith, the politician and lawyer, complained that homosexuals had become "so brazen they have formed themselves into organisations".

He claimed Jamaican gays to be "abusive and violent" and appeared to conclude that too high a proportion of homosexuals were holders of licensed firearms - he did not say what test he used for this finding. For good measure, he harrumphed about too many gays being in the police force.

Public sentiment

Notwithstanding a late-evening apology to the police force last Friday, Mr Smith's abuse of parliamentary privilege to deliver his homophobic diatribe was nothing short of a cheap attempt at trading on prevailing public sentiment to shore up his political stocks rather than providing leadership. It was reminiscent of Prime Minister Bruce Golding's "not in my Cabinet" comment during that infamous BBC television interview.

Perhaps unwittingly, such statements give legitimacy to extreme behaviour, including violence against gays.

The Ernest Smiths of this world notwithstanding, it is time for a more sensible approach in Jamaica. Rather than being defensive about the MP's allegation, the Police Officers' Association might have blasted him for fostering hate. Maybe other MPs might find the gall to propose an end to current laws that encourage voyeurism by agents of the State. There should perhaps also be a motion to censure Mr Smith. Of course, the real surprise would be to find any among his colleagues with the courage to take such a step.


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