Melville Cooke
MY INTEREST was piqued by Father Ho Lung's comment at the Vilma Mais funeral about a press that has failed the nation. I saw the clip on television and was naturally interested, as Ho Lung waxed warm about the two ps, the press and politicians.
I am not in the least upset about the observation that the press has buddied up (my expression) to the politicians, of whom it was implied have passed on the buddying (again my expression) to the dons, hence putting a buddying (ditto) on the nation as a whole.
For one, I agree wholeheartedly with the goodly Father and I am disgusted by the continuous extensive quotations by and lavish coverage of politicians which is passed off as news. Second, just as freedom of the press belongs to those who own one, so does the luxury of being offended by that truthful observation.
However, as we look for the fault lines in our society which have become gaping holes that have an insatiable appetite for coffins we need to look at the forest, not the trees, the improper drainage, not the potholes, the high prices for food at the cinemas, not the pirated DVDs ... you get what I mean.
THE FAILURES
And the frame of the big picture which is the chaos and carnage, yet pleasure and freedom, which is the Jamaican society is the Church. The failed press, the failed politicians, the failed attempt to call Jamaica a failed state, the failed police investigations into the wholesale murder of poor people which was taking place long before that of Madame Rose Leon are all a subset of the Church. Because the Church (and here I refer not to only that RC Church and the Protestants who protested against it, but every clap hand, under tent and tree, wrap head, river water dunking set of persons who worship in Jesus's name) is the main socialising agent in this country and if the country is rotten, so is the Church.
From Columbus landed here with his crosses and started the enslavement and genocide of the persons he claimed to discover, it is the Bible (or, rather, convenient snatches of it) which has been the guideline for the society. Whether being scored into the backs of slaves or passed on in Religious Education classes which treat religion as the exclusive preserve of Christianity, the Church has socialised this nation thoroughly. That also goes for the home, as most persons' parents, parent or guardian did the Sunday routine of rice and peas, chicken and chapter and verse.
NO FINGER-POINTING
So after half a millennium of this socialisation, the Church's representatives cannot point the finger at a failed organisation or movement in this country without looking first at themselves.
And what have they created? A spineless people who have been taught that their leaders are appointed by God, not by stuffing ballot boxes and, in cahoots with various dons, organising the forceful of those who are not with them. A people who have been taught not to rock the boat, and we certainly are not doing that, are we, at least not those who can create a significant ripple.
Ironically, it is the very Church which can, and I give kudos to Ho Lung's minuscule gesture of advising the funeral congregation about their vote and dons. However overwhelmingly in the face of crisis, the Church continues to go for prayer.
I always say there are two things I know of which are done on the knees and, of the two, without action prayer is the pointless exercise. Just ho lung - or, rather, how long - will it take the Church to get up?
Melville Cooke is a freelance writer
