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I am not a politician. I’m certainly not a senator. I am just a citizen who pays attention.
So, when the Prime Minister called independent senators “Satan’s helpers” for voting against the Special Operations Bill, I did not just feel peeved. I felt like something important was being hidden. Not a conspiracy. Just a simple trick. A strawman.
A strawman is when you take someone’s argument, make it weaker or uglier, and then attack that instead of what they actually said.
The independent senators did not say they wanted to protect criminals. They did not say they wanted rapists and murderers to walk free. They said the bill lacked judicial oversight. They said it had no proper time limits. They said it gave too much power to the executive without enough checks.
Those are serious points. You can disagree with them—but you have to answer them. Calling the senators “demons” does not answer them. It avoids them. That is why this matters.
Independent senators are not supposed to be a rubber stamp. In our constitution, the Independent senators are there to look at bills, ask hard questions, and sometimes say no. That is their job.
Photo: Office of the Parliament 2025.
If they say yes to everything, they are useless. If they say no, they should not be treated like enemies of the state, or siding with the opposition. They should be treated like people doing their job.
The whole point of the Independent bench is to make sure the government does not run over the public. They are a check. A check is only real if it can be used.
Now, politics isn’t for the faint-hearted, it’s rough. I know that. People say strong things. But there is a difference between strong politics and replacing an argument with an insult.
Copyright: Office of the Parliament 2025.
The Prime Minister could have easily said: “I disagree with the senators. Or I believe this bill is necessary to fight crime.” That would be fair.
She could have said: “Their concerns about oversight are noted, but here is why we need these powers…” That would be debate.
Instead, she made them look evil. That is not debate. That is a deliberate distraction. And it works. People remember the insult. They forget the reasons.
They remember “Satan’s helpers”. They forget “judicial oversight.” That is the danger.
The media did report the comments. They quoted analysts. They gave space to the Law Association. But they rarely call it a strawman. That is not a criticism of journalists. Straight news is supposed to report what was said, not label logical fallacies. But citizens do not have that limit.
Using platforms like Letter to the Editor, we can write letters. We can call it what it is. We can say: that is a strawman. And we should. Because if we stay quiet, the strawman wins.
The next time a bill comes, an Independent senator might think twice. Not because the bill is good. But because they do not want to be called a demon on national television, or vilified on social media by the government’s fanatical base.
Photo: Office of the Parliament 2025.
That is how a check on power becomes a rubber stamp. That is how democracy gets weaker—not with one big blow, but with small silences.
So here is my challenge to the government. If the bill was good, defend it. Explain why: the safeguards were unnecessary; the powers were needed; and the oversight was enough.
Do not tell us the senators are Satan’s helpers. That is not an argument. It is a strawman.
Photo: UNC.
And here is my challenge to us, the public. Do not let the insult become the story. Ask what the senators actually said. Read their reasons. Then decide.
We can disagree with them. We can agree with the government. But let us disagree with the real argument, not a fake one. That is how a democracy is supposed to work.
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Salaah Inniss is an ardent writer with an enthusiasm for bringing insightful views on national issues. He graduated from Cipriani College in Environmental Management, and is presently working in the Integrated Facilities Building Service Industry. He is an empathetic supporter of conservation and the protection of the environment.
