Responding to Dr Richard A Byron-Cox

Editor,

“At an NDP meeting, Jules Ferdinand paraded with a pitchfork. Many expressing shock, interpret this action as dangerously provocative and may incite violence. For me, it was indeed a symbol of violence, expletives, and deadly hate towards his political opponents. …” – Dr Richard A Byron-Cox, The Searchlight Newspaper, Friday, September 25, 2015.{{more}}

Dr Richard A Byron-Cox’s article, entitled “Jules Ferdinand and the devil’s pitchfork,” appeared in The Searchlight newspaper on Friday, September 25, 2015 (pp 9 and 16). While I cannot claim to know Dr Byron-Cox (a Vincentian who resides in Europe), he certainly does not know me. The picture that he sought to paint of me in his article is certainly not the Jules Ferdinand that many schoolteachers invite to motivate and inspire their students to excel. The descriptions of an “angel-tongued patter” and “a dark horse” that he portrays is not that of the motivational speaker who is regularly invited to deliver the feature address at secondary school graduation ceremonies. The person that he claims to have “lost all sense of truthfulness” is not in line with the image of the individual who is regularly invited to deliver sermons at various church denominations throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines. His commentary that “Jules’ recent behaviour shows that in place of a moral compass he has a terrible thirst for power” leads one to wonder if he was referring to the individual who has served in so many humanitarian projects, preferring to stay in the background rather than to take the limelight for the contributions he continues to make to the development of people.

Having read Dr. Byron-Cox’s article I could not help but conclude that he was not present at the event that he referred to, did not see the video recording of my presentation, and did not listen to the audio recording. He could not be so inaccurate in his interpretation of my presentation that was referred to in his article, an article that seemed so very focused on discrediting me. Could his vision have been so very jaundiced by the fact that his very good friend is a candidate for the Unity Labour Party (ULP) and I am a candidate for the New Democratic Party (NDP)? Is his perceived loss of objectivity driven by his commitment to retaining the “crab-in-the-barrel” syndrome that still plagues so many segments of our society? I would hope not. I expected much better from him. It therefore becomes necessary for me to present the facts to him and the many readers of his article.

I was invited to address the gathering at the Campden Park hard court or Saturday, September 12, 2015. As is my custom whenever addressing crowds, I sought to provide a visual image that will gain the audience’s attention and would encourage them to remember the content of the presentation. Persons who witnessed the presentation, viewed it via the Internet, or listened via radio would recall that the description was that while many supporters of the ULP would show four fingers to indicate their quest for a fourth term in office, the four prongs of the fork were being used to describe four slogans that the ULP never lived up to: Together Now; Hard on Crime and the Causes of Crime; Own the Government; and Labour Loves You. It is interesting to note that nowhere in Dr Byron-Cox’s presentation he referred to the foregoing.

The presentation provided listeners and viewers with examples of how the ULP administration has engaged in divisive, partisan politics and, as a result, created friction between and within homes and communities. Examples were also provided in relation to senior civil servants who “ran afoul of the law,” but did not appear to receive adequate punishment for their “indiscretions”. These examples were used to impress the viewing and listening audiences that the ULP administration is not hard on crime or the causes of crime. It was also noted that it is immoral to allow people (especially our young people) to think that this is what “owning the government means”. The final thoughts in relation to the slogan “Labour Loves You” sought to drive the point home that the activities ad behaviours of the ULP, in my opinion, do not portray true, genuine love. Dr Byron-Cox’s article in no way provided the reader with any of the insights shared in this paragraph.

Instead, he sought to demonise me for using “the devil’s fork” to “insight violence” against the supporters of the ULP. This is so far removed from the truth. Violence was never advocated in that entire presentation. The focus was entirely on removing the corruption and injustices.

Dr Byron-Cox should be assured that I will continue to focus on the issues that plague our society. We must seek to eradicate corruption and white-collar crimes whenever and wherever they appear. Individuals must no longer assume that they are exempt from the laws that govern our country because they are card-carrying members of a political party, their relatives hold high positions in the party or in government, or that their vehicles and/or homes have stickers indicating their party loyalty. Justice must be seen as fair to all. We can therefore extend the image of the pitchfork to convey the message that we must uproot evil, dishonesty, and corruption wherever it seeks to take root.

Dr Julian (Jules) Ferdinand

Send comments, criticisms & suggestions to julesferdinand@gmail.com