The other day, I was scrolling through Facebook when I came across a question posed on the Nationwide News Network platform: "Who is your pick for most outstanding MP over the past year?"It was meant to be a straightforward exercise in civic reflection, but as I watched the comment section instantly devolve into tribal warfare, a wave of profound frustration hit me. It made me realize that in modern Jamaican politics, we aren't measuring outstanding leadership or actual constituency development anymore; we are measuring who is the most successful motivational propagandist. This toxic circus isn't confined to the internet either—our live talk radio stations have become equally disgusting, serving as loud echo chambers where diehard party zealots trade personal insults rather than substance. Watching this psychological warfare spill from the airwaves onto our timelines proves that the old political garrison has simply found a new, digital home.
As a citizen looking for healthy, sound political debate, it is genuinely exhausting to turn on the radio or scroll through social media only to be assaulted by this psychological warfare. The sheer disrespect that diehard party fans show toward anyone outside their circle has completely degraded our public square. Worse yet, there is no one to stop them because the moderators themselves are no different. For them, the vitriol is treated as open entertainment and a tool for ratings, leaving no room for objective truth.
We see this dangerous dynamic play out vividly with leaders like MP Nekeisha Burchell. She is undeniably a smart, highly intelligent female politician, yet instead of debating her ideas, people resort to low, personal blows like fabrication and body shaming. Watching an educated woman's professional authority reduced to shallow, nasty commentary about her physical appearance makes me angry, and it should anger anyone who wants to see Jamaica progress. Jamaica, at this moment in time, desperately needs capable females who can champion our nation. We need women to stand up for our country in every area possible.
Yet, believe it or not, it is the sheer volume of other women piggybacking on this misogynistic tyranny that makes me even more uncomfortable and concerned. They actively join the digital mob to literally undress this lady online. This toxic culture trickles down directly from the top. On the 2025 campaign trail, we even witnessed a male JLP MP present a female on stage as a literal exhibition of "how a woman should look," while others have sunk to an all-time low by publicly criticizing MP Burchell's breasts. These politicians are inadvertently leading a pack of men who strongly oppose a female presence in high places, setting a devastating example for the rest of society.
As a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and cousin, I speak with deep passion and profound regret about what Jamaica has become. If we continue to allow our brightest minds and capable female leaders to be hollowed out by cyberbullying and political tribalism, we will remain a nation of empty vessels, empty promises, and catastrophic brain drain.
Tah-Tah! “Duppy noh who fi friten.” There are some days when this Jamaican adage speaks volumes:
Grace Dunkley-Asphall, Copyright © 2026
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