Eyes on Golding

Isat Buchanan’s apology yesterday, for lewd comments directed at Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn, has been judged insufficient by Metry Seaga, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ).

Seaga yesterday called for Mark Golding, president of the People’s National Party (PNP), which the attorney until Sunday evening represented as chairman of its Human Rights Commission, to also apologise to the women of Jamaica.

Buchanan resigned as commission chairman amid public outcry and condemnation from several civil society and political groups, in wake of the offensive comments aimed at Llewellyn on a social media programme.

“I would like an apology from the organisation that he resigned from, which I have not heard from. I have only heard a retraction,” Seaga told The Gleaner. “The leader, in my opinion, should apologise to every woman in Jamaica.”

Buchanan, while co-hosting the YouTube programme on Sunday, made the comments while quoting lyrics from convicted murderer and dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel’s song The Menace, in which the artiste instructs the DPP to perform a certain sexual act.

Following the backlash, Buchanan also issued his apology on social media and in a media release yesterday, where he described his actions as “unfortunate”.

The lawyer also apologised to Llewellyn, stating that he was “truly sorry” and deeply regretted his utterances, which have been described by many as “vile, crass and misogynistic”.

“Advocating for freedom of speech and expression does not stand mutually exclusive with demonstrating exemplary decorum throughout public channels,” Buchanan said in his statement.

Seaga said that, while he was happy to see Buchanan’s apology and welcomed it, Golding needed to demonstrate that such behaviour was unacceptable. He said condemnation from the PNP Women’s Movement on Monday could not be taken as the opposition leader’s response.

“Jamaicans are better when we have civility and when we have people who understand that none of our leaders is going to stand for this type of crass incivility. So, while I am happy that Mr Buchanan has apologised, I want to hear from the leader of the party as well and I want to hear that from every well-thinking person in the party he supports and he is a member of,” he added.

Aside from the condemnation from its Women’s Movement, the PNP’s only official statement on the matter came, also on Monday, when it noted Buchanan had informed Golding of his decision to resign “in the party’s best interests” as “the remarks in question do not reflect the values of the PNP”.

Notwithstanding yesterday’s apology, Seaga said the organisation maintained that Buchanan’s action requires punitive or disciplinary measures from the General Legal Council (GLC) and the Jamaican Bar Association.

“I have spoken to many lawyers who felt that he has brought their profession into disrepute,” Seaga said.

Also welcoming the apology was governance watchdog National Integrity Action (NIA), which described it as appropriate.

“Any genuine remorse should be paid due regard. A contrite apology is an important step as a legal and political influencer,” said NIA Principal Director Danielle Archer.

However, she said that, given the gravity of the offence, appropriate sanctions are needed to deter others minded to repeat such “tactless” and “brash” conduct.

“This is important as it sets a standard for persons who deem it fit to model such brash conduct to be effectively shunned. The political organisation in which he was a leader must do the right thing and impose a sanction,” she added.

Meanwhile, attorney-at-law Shauna-Gay Mitchell, who was also appreciative of Buchanan’s apology, said she was hoping it would be accompanied by reformed behaviour.

“I just hope that he learns in going forward that this is not just the type of thing that is going to go down well with people. Nowadays, we have very enlightened [people], and no matter who you are, people are thinking for themselves and are not going to let some things pass because they might like a person,” she said.

Mitchell said she also hoped her legal colleague would, in future, think before he speaks as she believed many persons in the society admire him and see him as a role model who has overcome adversity to make something of himself.

At the same time, King’s Counsel Denise Kitson, the chair of the GLC, told The Gleaner yesterday that the council has met and decided to pursue “an appropriate course of action”. She however declined to say what that was.

Kitson also noted that she was not aware of whether a specific complaint about Buchanan’s comments had been officially lodged with the GLC.

In the meantime CVM Television, in a statement yesterday, reported that it had severed all ties with Buchanan over his utterances.

CVM said Buchanan was previously contracted to the television station as a co-host of the Sunrise morning show, but was not an employee. The company noted, however, that he had not been contracted as a co-host for the past several months.

“That being said, as a result of the remarks made by Mr Buchanan towards the director of public prosecutions, which do not align with the values of CVM, we have decided to terminate any further contracts with Mr Buchanan for all of our programming (as host or guest) effective immediately,” CVM said.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com