By Makhulu

President Donald Trump has declared that he will not be attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, January 20.

He was not expected to exhibit graciousness and political protocol and see to the smooth transition from one president to another.

On Friday (January 8) he tweeted: “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration of January 20th.”

This is the first time since 1869 (152 years) that an exiting president will not be handing over to a succeeding president at an inauguration ceremony.

There is precedent for this behaviour. John Adams, his son John Quincey Adams and Andrew Johnson all refused to attend the inauguration of the incoming president of the United States.

This is ungracious and unbecoming. It is very in-keeping with Donald Trump’s character and the tone of his presidency-uncouth, unrefined, unsophisticated.

We are in a new century and it presupposes that mankind has become better and that the best traditions of the past are kept and held up for succeeding generations. We now live in a time where that is not the case. There is a disturbing marked regression, a flagrant lack of civility, a pervasive do-as-I-please attitude married to a reflexive sensibility.

Popularism is now measured by how many followers one has on social media. It is the new currency of power. Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian, and in Jamaica, Lisa Hanna have a tremendous following and they parlay this into wielding capital.  Personalities are now more than ever breaking all the rules and getting away with it.

Trump believes he can conduct himself as he chooses because 75 million people voted for him and he had close to 90 million followers on Twitter. Some say Facebook and Twitter’s decision to throw him off their platforms is tantamount to preventing free speech. Free speech existed before social media and will exist long after it.

The character of leaders irrespective of their chosen arenas is vitally important. Why? Because character is destiny. In democracies, the smooth transition of power is an endorsement of the will of the people. Trump’s decision to skip the inauguration will be emulated by leaders who place stock in populism and breaking the mould.

Many do not understand the essence of power in the civilised world and see it as a tool for self-aggrandizement.

Martin Luther King Jr. was insightful here saying, “I am not interested in power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.”

On the evening of November 7th, when Mark Golding was declared the winner of the PNP leadership race, Lisa Hanna was nowhere to be seen. At his swearing-in ceremony, she cried off sick.

This was unbecoming of a leading force in the PNP and is an indicator of why the party is in the doldrums and will be condemned to long-lasting opposition if it continues to exhibit fractiousness and internecine strife.

It’s one thing to unabashedly promote yourself on social media ( lovely dresses, great shoes, silky hair) but yet not display nobility before the entire country, indeed the world. It was a mistake not to be magnanimous in defeat and publicly seen acknowledging the transfer of power.

“Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve the people,” said George Bush.

Both Donald Trump and Lisa Hanna should heed these words. To whom much is given, much is required. Good manners, graciousness, fairness, selflessness, wisdom, the passing of the torch is required of leaders. Leadership cannot be conducted via social media.

Former Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller lost narrowly to a young Andrew Holness-led JLP in 2016. She sat through his swearing-in ceremony, smiled benignly, greeted all and at the end took her leave. She did not make or give any excuses for her absence.

She adhered to the tradition. Yet she has been characterised as being ‘uneducated’, rough around the edges, lacking social graces and all manner of unkind sleights – all nonsense. What cannot be said of her is that she was unladylike, or manifested public behaviour unbefitting the post. History will be kind to her.

Time and time again you see Trump tarnishing the office of the presidency and his disregard for protocols and statesmanlike conduct was tolerated—75 million times. This is the state of America today and it will take work to regain its standing in the world.

Leading politicians like Lisa Hanna must demonstrate that they value and understand the traditions that go with leadership and succession.

US Senator Rick Scott of Florida explained why this is so.

“I am urging the President to reconsider his decision to skip the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. He is of course not constitutionally required to attend and I can imagine losing an election is very hard but I believe he should attend. I plan to attend and believe in important traditions that demonstrate the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world.”