The Jamaica Observer carried the piece on the fish comment and Nationwide radio also had it on their news @ 5 on November 9th. It read in part:
At least one Jamaica Labour Party member has come out to clarify a statement made by Opposition Leader Andrew Holness at a party rally in Spanish Town, St Catherine Sunday night.
The member is insisting that Holness’ reference to not being a “fish”, was not made against the homosexual community.
Holness, in giving an address at the event, sought to take residents down memory lane as a child growing up in the old capital.
In one case, he explained that he went to a canal in the town to swim and got into difficulty. He said he "nearly drowned”.
Explaining how he got out of the situation, Holness said: "Well, you know we a nuh fish around here."
He, however, managed to swim to safety.
"We are aware of how the international community may misinterpret this, but it shouldn't be viewed as a jab at any member of the society," the JLP member said.
The JLP rally was held in a section of the old capital called Munamar Square.
At least one Jamaica Labour Party member has come out to clarify a statement made by Opposition Leader Andrew Holness at a party rally in Spanish Town, St Catherine Sunday night.
The member is insisting that Holness’ reference to not being a “fish”, was not made against the homosexual community.
Holness, in giving an address at the event, sought to take residents down memory lane as a child growing up in the old capital.
In one case, he explained that he went to a canal in the town to swim and got into difficulty. He said he "nearly drowned”.
Explaining how he got out of the situation, Holness said: "Well, you know we a nuh fish around here."
He, however, managed to swim to safety.
"We are aware of how the international community may misinterpret this, but it shouldn't be viewed as a jab at any member of the society," the JLP member said.
The JLP rally was held in a section of the old capital called Munamar Square.
ENDS
Fish is one of the many ever changing terms used to stigmatise male homosexuals in the long line of terms from as far as time in this country itself. Old English terms such as 'Molly' (drag queen or effeminate men) were used when slave owners were here through to terms such as 'she-fu man' 'number 2' (coined in the 80s by Terror Fabulous)
'he-she' (referring to cross dressers and effeminate men) 'chi chi man' (from TOK's song)
also hear and see previous related entries:
Popular Jamaican homophobic words 2009 and related podcast
Latent homosexuality & misconceptions creating havoc?
"Keep it to yuself mentality" on homosexuality 2009
"Keep it to yuself mentality" on homosexuality 2009
My scan of an old cartoon from Clovis in the days of PJ's troubles regarding his sexual reputation in the eyes of the public
October 18, 2005
I'm no Chi Chi man says PJ
PRIME minister P J Patterson yesterday frontally confronted Opposition insinuations that he is homosexual and declared it to be the worst attempt at demonisation by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
"My credentials as a lifelong heterosexual person are impeccable," Patterson, 63 told hosts Beverly Anderson-Manley and Anthony Abrahams of the HOT 102 morning talk show, the Breakfast Club. "Anybody who tries to say otherwise is not just smearing and in vulgar abuse... but when you talk about demonising, what is that?
"I want to put that on the table squarely," Patterson said.
JLP leader, Edward Seaga, ignited open public speculation about the prime minister's sexuality in 1993 when he declared from a campaign platform that no one had ever accused him of "Boom, bye, bye", drawing on the song by the Jamaican dancehall deejay, Buju Banton that advocated the killing of homosexuals.
That song seriously derailed Buju Banton's career when American gays encouraged a boycott of the deejay, until he publicly apologised.
The rumours have lingered about the bachelor Patterson, who was once married to the late Guyanese lawyer and government minister, Shirley Field-Ridley. The couple had two children before they divorced.
Although Patterson jealously guards his private life, he has been romantically linked to several women over the years, including most recently to a well-known caterer and then to a divorced public health doctor. Before that, he was also reportedly romantically linked to the ex-wife of a former Barbados government minister.
However, since March the rumours about the prime minister have returned with a vengeance, when the JLP used the anti-homosexual song, Chi Chi Man, by the Jamaican group T O K as the signature for its campaign in the March by-election for the North East St Ann constituency. It has since then been used extensively by the JLP at its public meetings.
That song says:
'From dem a par in a chi chi man car gi wi fire mek we bun dem'
'From dem a drink in a chi chi man bar gi wi fire mek we bun dem'
While the singers have denied that the song promotes violence, the English translation of the Jamaican dialect would be roughly that people who hang out with homosexuals or effeminate males (chi chi men) should be burnt. One line even proposes to "full dem up with copper shot".
In homophobic Jamaica the song has gained great popularity, helped in no small measure by its infectious melody.
In the past, Patterson has talked around innuendoes about his sexuality. For instance, his stern declaration at last year's annual conference of the People's National Party that his government would not legalise homosexuality, in the face of a promotion of the issue by Amnesty International, was largely seen as an attempt at asserting his own heterosexuality.
He raised the issue yesterday -- without being asked -- in the context of recent claims by the JLP that the PNP had fomented violence in Seaga's West Kingston constituency as part of an attempt to demonise the JLP leader as a man of violence -- a reputation that Seaga has carried over his long political career. But even then, Patterson first alluded to the claim only obliquely, but later spoke about it directly.
West Kingston, Seaga's constituency and venue of his Tivoli Gardens base is considered to be volatile territory and, according to the JLP, his opponents use it as a flash-point to trigger anti-Seaga sentiments anytime a general election is near.
In dismissing any attempt by his party to demonise Seaga, Patterson noted that like all political leaders, Jamaicans had an image of the JLP boss "some of which is favourable, some of which is unfavourable".
"Nobody is manufacturing anything against Mr Seaga, nobody is fabricating anything against him," Patterson said. "Tell me what is it that the PNP has fabricated against Seaga, unlike what is being attempted against me."
Later, after specifically raising the homosexual question and suggesting that both Anderson-Manley and Abrahams, who have known him for 40 years, should know the truth, Patterson declared: "It is wicked!"
ENDS
So politicians have always been exploiting homophobia and by the looks of things they intend to do so using and 'fish' and other such stigmatizing terms.
see:
2015
PM scolds gay-rights protesters in New York ........ challenges truthfulness of Homophobic Claim
Justice Minister reiterates his personal position on the Buggery Law, Anal Intercourse, Consent & Privacy
Portia Simpson - 'Uncouth behaviour of others to make me look less than polished'
When did anyone ask for gay marriage rights in Jamaica when we can't get basic tolerance ....
Opposition Leader sides with antigay groups on Referendum on The Buggery Law 2014
Opposition sides with Govt on No to same sex marriage (2009 post when the PNP was in opposition)
Jamaican Opposition Leader says he would allow homosexuals in his cabinet (Holness flip flopping on the issue when it suits him)
Non Governmental Organization Consultant says JLP suggested Referendum on Buggery is not a good idea
pay attention to this old JLP video in the 2011 election campaign trail concerning buggery @ 3:49:
Hope this helped
Peace & tolerance
H
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