Noble: Have we lost every drop of human kindness? Lisa Morris-Julian deserves better

“[…] I am saddened by those among us who cannot restrain ourselves from spewing bitter bile at this moment of great tragedy.

“[…] Is there not a John McCain—the Republican presidential candidate who defended Barack Obama as a decent person—among us? No holding back the vile trolls on the Facebook pages?

“[…] Even in war, there is a ceasefire for significant events…”

The following Letter to the Editor on the legacy of late MP Lisa Morris-Julian and the mixed responses to her tragic passing was submitted to Wired868 by columnist Noble Philip:

I have never met Lisa Morris-Julian. I wrote about her and her young colleagues: Faris Al Rawi, Brian Manning and Keith Scotland.

I saw them as the Young Turks, with political pedigree. I had been bitterly disappointed at their performance. Two of the named Members of Parliament contacted me. Mrs Julian was one.

She was not the first political figure to engage me in my column writing. Some are worried about their projected public image. Some call to bully me or persuade me into believing their worldview.

Lisa was a very earnest soul who wanted to explain her record. I discovered we shared mutual support for the Arima North football team and that she got my telephone details from the team’s manager.

We spoke for at least an hour. I was impressed by her at the end of the conversation. She was protective of her legacy: the Morris name. She was terrified to be in any skullduggery that would cast an aspersion on that Gens d’Arime heritage. Her focus was helping others.

She spoke passionately about the need for her and her party to do so. Water supply was a big deal.

We would have spent about ten minutes on the need for water! She discussed the challenge of ensuring the residents had water. She admitted that the region’s growth with both houses and an industrial estate had changed the dynamics of the water supply.

She had her pulse on the issues. She was a brave soldier whose work ethic was evident. She was sincere and spoke from her heart.

She identified the shortcomings and hurdles of her portfolios. She knew of my interest in education from my columns. She addressed them squarely. No attempt to bamboozle. Straight-up transparency.

She understood the need for social media and was proud of being able to communicate with her constituents via her personal page. She detailed the challenges of meeting her constituency’s needs and the steps she took.

I was surprised that she was still at her old home address. (I happen to know Arima and that street very well.) She had not moved house when she became a Parliamentarian. That reminded me of Eugenia Charles, the prime minister of Dominica.

(Charles would sit on her veranda in the mornings and greet people as they went to work.)

At the end of the conversation, I felt that her constituency and Ministry would be well served because of her clarity of vision and persistent desire to serve.

I am saddened by those among us who cannot restrain ourselves from spewing bitter bile at this moment of great tragedy.

In writing about the dreadful Petrotrin loss of the divers, I said: “We have lost every drop of human kindness on the altar of money.” Sadly, we go pell-mell along this dismal road with a cul-de-sac of endless pain.

Our political leaders have failed. No need for mumbling obligatory words. Why try to pretend?

Is there not a John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate who defended Barack Obama as a decent person, among us? No holding back the vile trolls on the Facebook pages?

Are we doing this for political gain? Is that who we are? Even in war, there is a ceasefire for significant events.

Tolerance is a key feature of healthy democracies. We must see people as people, not as the ‘other’ or the ‘enemy’.

Can we find a way to be more tolerant, cooperative, and respectful of each other? If not, the road ahead gets darker!

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Noble Philip

Noble Philip, a retired business executive, is trying to interpret Jesus’ relationships with the poor and rich among us. A Seeker, not a Saint.