JACKASSES SOMETIMES EXHIBIT greater insight than humans.
The Christian Bible contains a story in Numbers 22:21-39 about a prophet called Balaam, who displeased God. Because of this, God sent one of his angels with the sword to punish Balaam while he was riding his donkey on a journey.
The donkey saw the angel with the sword and took evasive steps; but because Balaam couldn’t see the angel, he beat the animal, thinking it was being wayward. After three beatings, the animal actually opened its mouth and spoke like a human in defence of itself. It is a sad day for humanity when jackasses display greater sense and vision than humans.
At a Mother’s Day ceremony in his constituency, the Minister for the Environment, Dr Denis Lowe, delivered himself of some very disparaging comments about women who don’t have children. To quote: “I am not about to support any idea that the greatness of the nation is bounded up in any individual who does not regard the importance of motherhood, of family, and of marriage according to the biblical standard.”
He also thought it important to note that the current Opposition party was led “by someone who does not have children”. The report did not indicate any comments about unmarried male leaders or those without children.
When a people are led by individuals of this ilk, is it any wonder we stagnate as a nation and can’t make progress? The salvation of a people lies very much with their leadership. Wise and intelligent leadership brings prosperity; stupid and visionless leadership will be their downfall.
By what stretch of the imagination can a woman’s childless status render her a good or bad leader? This man is totally out of it, and it frightens me that he occupies such high office in our national life. How is it possible for a nation with such an enviable record in education to produce people like him?
Is his obsession with same-gender unions so pervasive that he doesn’t even recognise that his comments are blatantly sexist? What moral duty is there on a woman to have children that has not been placed on men? We’ve had leaders who occupied office while in adulterous relationships; the current leader is an unmarried man. Does he satisfy Dr Lowe’s expectations of a leader promoting Christian family values? Is he happy with those situations? Or is the onus only on women to promote these values? Where, in his Bible, does it say a woman shall have children?
The Leader of the Opposition party is a woman with vision and intellect. I have every confidence that she will return hope and vision to the Government of this country when the electorate repudiates the rule and ideas of Dr Lowe and his band . . . . Where there is no vision, we might as well be led by Balaam’s donkey.
– OLUTOYE WALROND
