People, people we are the same

Cause we don’t know the game

What we need is awareness, we can’t get careless

You say what is this?

My beloved, let’s get down to business

Mental self-defensive fitness

                                     Public Enemy, Fight The Power

Britain’s most popular mid-market tabloid, The Daily Mail, is waging an unrelenting denigration of the Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade Lisa Hanna, centred around the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Jamaica.

In a barrage of negative articles, it consistently refers to her as a “former beauty queen turned politician”.

It does not give her the courtesy of her title in the Opposition party, neither does it acknowledge that she is a senior member of the PNP.

She is equated as a social media personage, with very little distinction between her and the likes of Kim Kardashian and Katie Price.

HANNA DENIES SNUBBING DUCHESS

Continuing to gut her with a serrated edge, the articles draw attention to her heritage, her marital status, her son’s career all the while painting a picture  of a willfully ambitious shrew and opportunist getting by on a vapid persona.

The Daily Mail maintains that Lisa Hanna snubbed the Duchess of Cambridge and blatantly turned her back on her when Kate was being friendly and engaging. It even proffers a supporting video to substantiate its claim.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Watching the video, one cannot draw the conclusion that Lisa was giving Kate the cold shoulder.

Lisa has now gone on the record saying she did not snub the Duchess but in fact they had several conversations. That was not enough to satisfy the British tabloid whose “hit job” has been picked up by media houses across the world.

This attack on her is unwarranted and spurious. What is the motive here?

Is it that both Lisa and Kate are photogenic, stylish women and some editor decided to pit them against each other for more clicks and to sell more newspapers?

Is it to reduce Lisa Hanna in the eyes of the international community because she is deemed an anti-monarchist making outrageous demands for reparations?

The use of African slaves for financial enrichment was an abomination and has to be seen as abhorrent. It left people disconnected from their countries families, language and culture. The impact has lingered for centuries.

CARICATURED AND CASTIGATED

Lisa Hanna is calling for some recognition of this and a reset in relations between Jamaica and Britain. For this she has been caricatured and castigated.

Even the pictures used do not covey the image of a statesperson but rather that of a flighty IT girl – the maliciousness and malevolence undisguised.

The first article yesterday was vicious, the one today even more so.

This was written to wound.

Of the Royal visit, Hanna wrote: “t is my hope that this Caribbean visit will stir their emotions and their thoughts and that as they ascend they will refine the monarchy’s perspective with an eye towards building a fairer and more just global society.”

Both Prince William and the Duchess are aware of the underlying issues here and from a generational perspective can do something to help repair hurt and recriminations that are rooted in what was fundamentally unjust, evil, odious and wicked – not becoming a country prefaced with the word  “Great”.

This trip was a success in that they were greeted enthusiastically by most Jamaicans, notwithstanding the desire to become an independent Republic.

 Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced to Prince William, “There are issues here which as you would know are unresolved. But Jamaica as you would see is a country that is very proud… and we’re moving on. And we intend… to fulfil our true ambition of being an independent, developed and prosperous country.”

DENOUNCED BY BRITISH PRESS

This was singularly the most pertinent statement to come out of all this. Given the history and the progress made by Jamaica, it is perfectly understandable that it desires to be an independent, developed and prosperous country and, while on that journey, will extend the hand of friendship, goodwill and respect.

Lisa Hanna is being painted as a nationalist republic-seeking demagogue and for that she has been subjected to a denouncement by the British press but, as Bob Marley said: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.”