The Island of Jamaica is a land of fun loving people, rich culture, sports enthusiasts, Olympians, the world's fastest man in track and field, good foods and beverages, reggae music, remedies for the mind, soul and body, many houses of worship, farmers, gullies and mountains, appointments and disappointments, success and failure, great educators, sea, sand, sun, beaches, rivers, robust Blue Mountain coffee, laughter, silence and more good attributes. By the same token, it is also a land where it’s best practice to be mindful of your words, noticeable bouts of spirit tek (likable), run-mouth (idle talk), and die hard followers of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) or the People’s National Party (PNP).
In a brilliant dose of honesty, I am a dodo head, lol, when it comes to party politics and the rules and regulations that govern the Jamaica Parliament. However, there are times when common sense prevails and I am able to share my opinions.
That being said: Due to the brouhaha, in April 2026, caused by someone touching the mace while Parliament was in session, I gathered the pluck to have a conversation with AI. And my sole purpose was to get, for myself, a proper understanding on why the Mace should not be touched. Thus, I solicited Google as the avenue to AI.
#1 My Questions: What is “Mace”? Is there any ritualistic or necromancy attached to it, such as the one in the Jamaica Parliament?
AI Overview/Response:
The Mace is a heavily ornamented staff, usually made of silver and gold, that serves as the ceremonial symbol of authority in Westminster-style parliaments, including the Jamaican Parliament.
Based on recent parliamentary events in Jamaica, there is no necromancy(communication with the dead) involved; however, the Mace is surrounded by strict, nearly ritualistic protocols that govern the legitimacy of the government.
What is the Parliamentary Mace?
*Symbol of Authority: It represents the authority of the Sovereign (King Charles III) and the Speaker of the House. Without its presence on the table, the Parliament cannot legally sit, debate, or pass laws.
*History: The Jamaican Mace dates back to the 1700s and is carried into the chamber by the Marshall at the start of every session.
*Positioning: It must remain on the table while the house is in session. If the house meets as a committee to examine a bill, the mace is placed under the table.
The "Ritualistic" Incident in Jamaica Parliament
*The Event: In April 2026, Opposition MP Dr. Angela Brown Burke touched/removed the ceremonial mace during a heated debate over the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Bill.
*The Protocol Breach: Speaker Juliet Holness immediately declared this a serious violation of tradition, stating, "Member, at no time can you grab the mace in Parliament. Not even in jest, member. And not in protest either", notes.
*Consequence: The incident was treated as a grave violation of parliamentary rules, leading to the member’s suspension and a temporary halt to proceedings, reinforcing the sacred nature of the object in parliamentary tradition.
While the behavior was dramatic, it was a political, symbolic protest rather than a "ritualic or necromancy" incident. The "ritual" is simply the strict adhering to the 18th-century protocols surrounding the object's presence.
***End of AI Overview/Response.
#2 My Question: In recent times the Governor General of Jamaica found out that the insignia he wore, and those before him, was dehumanizing to the first degree. How certain are we that the mace isn’t of the same order, or has a hidden agenda in plain sight?
AI Overview/Response:
The connection you've made highlights a significant ongoing conversation in Jamaica about colonial symbols. The Governor General did indeed suspend the use of the Order of St. Michael and St. George insignia in 2020 because it depicted a white archangel trampling a dark-skinned figure representing Satan.
While the Mace is also a colonial-era artifact, its design and historical "agenda" differ from the insignia:
Design and Symbolism
*The Mace: Its symbols are largely structural and heraldic. It features royal ciphers, the royal coat of arms, and symbols like the Tudor rose or portcullis. It does not contain figurative illustrations of people or racialized depictions.
*The Insignia: The dehumanizing element was a specific piece of figurative art (the archangel and the "dark-skinned" Satan) which was criticized for normalizing the degradation of people of color.
Historical Origins
*Weapon to Symbol: The Mace originated as a medieval weapon used to protect the King. Over time, it evolved into a symbol of the Speaker's authority and the legitimacy of the House to meet.
*Colonial Purpose: Like the insignia, the Jamaican Maces (ordered in 1753 and 1787) were created during the peak of the colonial era. Their "agenda" was to establish that power in Jamaica flowed directly from the British Crown.
The "Hidden Agenda" Question
Critics argue that the "hidden agenda" of the Mace isn't in a specific image, but in what the object represents: the continued survival of colonial power structures in a post-colonial nation.
*The Insignia was rejected because its imagery was overtly racist.
*The Mace is currently under fire more for its political function—the fact that Parliament "cannot legally sit" without a symbol of the British Monarchy.
While no dehumanizing imagery has been identified on the Mace, many Jamaicans believe the object itself is an "outdated" reminder of colonial bondage and should be reviewed as Jamaica considers transitioning to a Republic.
***End of AI Overview/Response.
#3 My Concern: It seems that most of the hierarchy in the government body has a symbol. In ancient times the swastika was a religious symbol for people of the darker hue. However, for some unknown reason, Hitler took it and defaced it for his selfish reason. I still don’t, in modern times, see the reason for worshipping ornaments or dumb things.
AI Overview/Response:
The use of these objects isn't about "worshipping" the item itself, but rather about using a tangible anchor to represent abstract concepts like law, order, and collective agreement that are otherwise invisible.
Why Governments Use Symbols
*Tangible Authority: Symbols like the Mace make political authority "emotionally meaningful" and visible to a public that cannot interact directly with a vast government.
*Psychological Order: Rituals and ceremonial objects create a sense of predictability and control. Research shows that structured rituals help reduce collective anxiety and increase confidence in the stability of a system.
*Legitimacy: In modern states, these rituals replace the "divine right" of kings, serving as a public, repetitive performance that reinforces the legitimacy of the legal and legislative process.
The Swastika vs. The Mace
You mentioned the swastika, which is a powerful example of how a symbol's meaning can be forcibly changed:
*Original Meaning: Long before the Nazi regime, the swastika was a universal symbol of well-being, good fortune, and the sun across various ancient cultures, including those in India, Africa, and the Americas.
*Defacement: Hitler co-opted it in the 1920s to awaken the "imagination of the masses" through an appeal to raw feeling and identity, permanently tainting its meaning in the Western world.
*Comparison to the Mace: While the swastika was a religious icon of peace turned into a sign of hate, the Mace followed the opposite path: it was a lethal weapon of war that was "civilized" into a symbol of peaceful democratic debate.
Symbols as "Dumb Things"
From a purely logical standpoint, a gold-plated stick (the Mace) or a cross-shaped pattern (the Swastika) has no inherent power. However, humans use them because pure logic rarely unites large groups of people.
*A "Social Glue": Symbols act as a shortcut for shared values. For many, "worshipping" the ornament is actually a way of respecting the social contract it stands for.
*A "Living Lie": Critics, like yourself, argue that when the symbol's history is rooted in violence or colonial dehumanization (as with the Jamaica Mace or the Governor General’s insignia), the ornament becomes a "dumb thing" that hides a dark history in plain sight.
As Jamaica considers moving toward a Republic, do you think it’s possible to have a government without any physical symbols, or would we just end up creating new ones?
***End of AI Overview/Response.
Tah-Tah! We learn everyday.
Grace Dunkley-Asphall, Copyright © 2026
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