Searchlight Logo
special_image

    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
Editorial
November 4, 2005

Picong and Intellectual dishonesty

Let’s face it, one of the main attractions of political meetings is the political picong. Besides wanting to hear the issues debated, we go to hear the jokes and get a good laugh. It is probably almost as big a draw as the musical entertainment.

Allsop defines picong as “A spontaneous, verbal battle in rhymed song between two or more contending calypsonians, in which the wit and humorous impact of a contender’s improvisation determines his supremacy.”{{more}}

Replace “song” with “speech” and “calypsonians” with “politicians” and we have our definition. The most successful proponents of the art get the rhythm, intonation and word choice just right.

The imagery conjured up by a skilled practitioner of the art remains in one’s mind’s eye for a long time. Take for example Sir James Mitchell’s classic comparison of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves to a barking dog running behind a car. Who can forget that?

Unfortunately for those who follow our recent political meetings, good picong is rare. Besides Sir James, only Sir Vincent Beache, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Louis Straker and Edwin Snagg can be relied on to provide us with the laugh-out-loud amusement that characterizes good picong.

When one is the target of picong, the thing to do is hit back with picong or keep silent. In the absence of this skill, what we have been noticing is a worrying trend where issues are twisted or taken out of context and presented in a way to achieve maximum response, usually negative, from the populace. These accusations, suggestions, call them what you may, are, by their very nature, not just jabs at the opponent, but have the potential to stir up deep-seated resentments among our people.

The most disturbing example this political season occurred last Saturday night at the Campden Park Playing Field at the rally to launch the New Democratic Party’s candidate for South Leeward. The NDP played a video clip from the film version of Alex Haley’s epic novel “Roots”. In the scene, the enslaved African, Kunta Kinte, is systematically whipped and ordered to say his name, until Kunta finally gives in and says, “My name is Toby” – the name the master had decided upon. A master’s imposition of a name on a slave signified the master’s determination to re-define the identity of the African, i.e. make him a slave.

According to the Master of Ceremonies who introduced the video clip at the meeting, the scene was being shown to explain what Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves means when he repeats his latest mantra, “Arnhim, what’s my name?” What intellectual dishonesty! Kunta Kinte was not being forced to say the master’s name. He was being made to say the name the “master” had given him. But when a scene like this is flashed before one’s eyes, lasting just a few seconds, all that remains in one’s mind is the vision of a white man brutally whipping a black man and telling him something about saying a name.

What is the intention here? Is this another attempt to make race an issue in St. Vincent and the Grenadines politics? All previous attempts have failed, and failed miserably. But this attempt is particularly disturbing because of the emotive nature of slavery and the brutal methods it employed aimed at breaking the spirit of a people.

Why is the NDP attempting to evoke in us a primal response which is totally unjustified in this context? When Dr. Gonsalves made his unfortunate comment that the President of the United States would greet him but not Mr. Eustace if he met them in high day time, or the dead of night, he was thoughtlessly projecting his own familiarity with world leaders while playing down Mr. Eustace’s. This comment was interpreted by some to mean that Mr. Eustace was not visible because of his colour.

So was the video clip from “Roots” played to resuscitate the recognition/visibility debate? Let us be realistic. This is by and large a black country. Racial rancour has not scarred our landscape in the last thirty years or so. Why then, in the quest to gain power would a national political party that has the support of a significant percentage of our people want to introduce something as insidious as this – something that has torn apart Trinidad and Guyana and is still a major factor in the United States of America?

The good thing though, is that Vincentians are not stupid. We know our reality. Thus, it is unlikely that the slave whipping analogy will gain currency. Despite this, we should refrain from sinking to such depths. Let us instead find creative ways of addressing issues without abusing our people’s sensitivities and sensibilities.

  • FacebookComments
  • ALSO IN THE NEWS
    12 left homeless in mid-day fire at Richland Park
    Front Page
    12 left homeless in mid-day fire at Richland Park
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    A fire that destroyed a multi-family complex in Richland Park over the weekend has left at least 12 people homeless, including a 23-year-old mother of...
    PM responds to US military strike on small boat off Venezuela
    Front Page
    PM responds to US military strike on small boat off Venezuela
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves has responded to reports by the United States administration that its military had carried out the bombing of a boa...
    Building material disappear from the Mary Hutchinson Primary School
    Front Page
    Building material disappear from the Mary Hutchinson Primary School
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Police investigators on Union Island are said to be looking into the “disappearance” of building materials that were sent to the Southern Grenadine Is...
    What’s new at Fitz Hughes Government School?
    Front Page
    What’s new at Fitz Hughes Government School?
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    by Grace Francis After sharing a small space for over a year, children and teachers at the Fitz Hughes Early Childhood Centre went into brand new prem...
    MRI-6 donates over $70,000 for school meals for vulnerable students
    Front Page
    MRI-6 donates over $70,000 for school meals for vulnerable students
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Several secondary schools and special needs institutions across St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) have received $5,000 donations towards meals for s...
    Minister of Information Technology  emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    News
    Minister of Information Technology emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Robust cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation that is currently taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) says Min...
    News
    Minister of Information Technology  emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    News
    Minister of Information Technology emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Robust cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation that is currently taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) says Min...
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    News
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Climate Change Resilience Network (CCRN) in collaboration with the Youlou Radio Movement (YRM) recently embarked on a disaster preparedness initia...
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    News
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, is to obtain three more Heamodialysis machines as part of the revolution in the healthcare secto...
    PM Gonsalves heads delegation to Ethiopia
    News
    PM Gonsalves heads delegation to Ethiopia
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, is leading a delegation to the East African country of Ethiopia; the delegation left the state on Wednesday, Septe...
    New Port to be opened on October 24- PM Gonsalves
    News
    New Port to be opened on October 24- PM Gonsalves
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The modern port in Kingstown is expected to be handed over to the government just before this country celebrates its 46th anniversary of political ind...

    E-EDITION
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Subscribe Now
    • Interactive Media Ltd. • P.O. Box 152 • Kingstown • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Phone: 784-456-1558 © Copyright Interactive Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok