Dawn Ritch, Columnist

I was very disappointed the other day when The Gleaner edited my column. I was talking about the Prime Minister and Desmond Richards and used the word 'Darkie', with a capital 'D', to describe them.

The Gleaner changed it to a common 'D', when there is nothing necessarily common about 'Darkies' at all.

'Darkies' were the forerunners of what became known as 'Coloured People', or the 'Coloureds' for short. I think they're entitled to their title which is a capital letter. When I talk about Black people, I also use a capital letter. Each is a tribe and entitled to be addressed as though by their surname.

Someone fitting could be described therefore as '... Black, but a gentleman', or 'lady' as the case might be. In my mind, therefore, both Mrs. Simpson Miller and Mr. Richards, though 'Darkies', indubitably fall into this category, and warrant respect.

The business barons don't see it that way. Butch Stewart said publicly, that whoever wins the next general election must afterwards sit down and talk with the private sector about developing a policy for Jamaican agriculture.

Opposition Leader Bruce Golding, if ever prime minister, may need to be guided by consensus in the absence of an original thought on his part. But Mrs. Simpson Miller, once with her own mandate, is sure to have some settled ideas of her own. Indeed, she might even be keen to implement them. She may look like a 'Darkie', but she's not an ass, which is more than I can say for a lot of Brown people I know.

This Black lady is very hard to read. She is already Prime Minister, yet nobody's been invited to lunch. There's been no defining interview, In fact, we hardly hear her voice.

The press has been reduced, myself included, to interpreting her doodles. Naturally, this has not pleased them in the slightest.

Doodles

This newspaper published the views of an expert handwriting analyst and scientist. One thing I know is that at no time did this scientist suggest that the meaning of the doodles was best resolved by asking the doodler herself. Scientists are scientists because of their reluctance to draw the obvious conclusion.

That class of persons, however, was redeemed late last week by Dr. Charles L. Carr, Ph.D., consultant clinical psychologist in Kingston. His letter to the editor read in part: "If I were to analyse the doodling made by the Prime Minister, I would first have to find out what she was thinking at the time the drawings were made."

Now a Ph.D. is not necessarily a scientist, which is perhaps why Dr. Carr makes so much sense. Nor is a psychiatrist a scientist, least of all a psychologist, even a clinical one. Dr. Carr also said: "Then I would conduct follow-up interviews to ascertain if there was or was not any significance to the drawings."

This makes perfect sense to me. But it raises the question of whether or not anybody has asked Mrs. Simpson Miler what her doodles meant. While the media have been consumed by her doodles, they may not actually be interested in what they mean. Were I Mrs. Simpson Miller, I'd feel somewhat neglected by this glaring editorial omission.

No matter how excellent Dr. Carr is in his chosen field, few normal people would feel enchanted by the prospect of his follow-up interviews. I doubt that Mrs. Simpson Miller will become a client, even for free. No well-grounded person wants to discuss her thoughts with a scholar of the mind, particularly when she's untroubled by them.

The press, which thankfully can go just so far in its analysis, has not asked her what she meant. If anyone does bother to ask her at this late stage, I hope she just laughs at them. It was always her business, and not theirs anyway. Maybe she should buy herself a pair of clear glasses to suggest that she reads, as well as draws.

Ignorance of the press

But quite frankly I would not bother. This would only lead to the question of whether or not she can write. Such is the ignorance of the press.

In all seriousness, I can only hope that when Madame Prime Minister releases her record of performance since taking office, it receives even half the attention given to her doodles. May the press be inspired not only to want to know what it means, but compare that performance to the first months in office of all previous prime ministers, acting with or without a mandate from the people.

Only then can one properly access her capacity, rather than speculating while seated on middle-class verandas. Such is the ignorance of the press and the middle-class to whom they cater. Such an investigation is sure to reveal that Mrs. Simpson Miller is indeed in a class by herself. This is why the 'D' must be capitalised, and the 'i' dotted.

Butch Stewart had the grace to realise that there should be no meeting until the people of Jamaica have elected the prime minister of the country. Unfortunately, he also believes that whoever it is must listen to him.

That is unlikely to happen with Mrs. Simpson Miller. Not only does she have no kitchen cabinet, but she does not automatically follow the dictates of the old-boy network either. After work she goes home to her yard, not to the local watering hole where old-boy conspiracies are hatched.

This means that decisions will be taken during her office hours, no matter how long these may be. If Butch has anything to say, I think he should put it in writing to her. He may even do so in his own handwriting if it's legible. A meal at somebody's house will not cause her either to make or change any decision.

The fact of the matter is that she is Prime Minister, and the overwhelming choice of the poor and disadvantaged. It is they who will put her in office, not any of the vested interests who behave as though they are the sole power in the country.

Political campaign

Instead of this incessant moaning and groaning while they paint her in the most unflattering light, business barons should look to fund her political campaign. It ought not to disqualify her from their affections, merely because she is not biddable.

If the business class really wants transparent government as they claim, then they should hope for a political leader who is not bought by the last cheque received. Instead, they all contrive to be the last cheque signed. Their support for a Bruce Golding-led Jamaica Labour Party speaks volumes in this regard.

Someone who is not so influenced is best not only for business, but the country as a whole. It certainly makes life much more exciting because the range of possibilities is instantly increased. It's like putting the capital 'D' in 'Darkie'.