From what I learned in my youth, the words “your sins are forgiven”, spoken by Jesus Christ, angered his Jewish elders and led to his crucifixion. There was no room for any false messiah as far as the Jewish elders were concerned; only God could forgive sins. They had waited over 800 years
for the one whom Jehovah (God) had promised would return to deliver them from their oppressors. Still, they believed Jesus Christ an imposter,
and not the Messiah. They had earlier traced their sojourn in Egypt and on to the new land, and would brook no amendments to the laws of Moses.
The one sent to forgive sins and to instruct his brethren in a new superior life of love and forgiveness was never accepted by some, then or now. This helps explain the continued turmoil in a world on an unrepentant path of hate and revenge. Nowhere was forgiveness more poignantly demonstrated by the dying Jesus Christ than on the cross. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” were his last recorded words, according to the Holy Bible.
It is with some relief therefore that I read the following from Rick Wayne in the STAR of April 27, 2019: “Last Thursday I came down hard on the side of burning Ubaldus Raymond whose private conversations with a female were weaponized by his detractors, the presumed holy as well as their unthinking echoes. It has since the last TALK occurred to me that whatever I may have accomplished up to this point was possible only because my own transgressions were not forever held against me; that my occasional demonstrations of poor judgment had not cost me opportunities to do better.”
I was somewhat heartened to read the above quoted words from the host of TALK, one week after he had thrown Ubaldus Raymond under the bus. There remains one sentence from the Holy Bible that continues to guide my reaction to those who say, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” as Rick had earlier done in the case of Ubaldus Raymond. “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” After these words from Jesus, the woman who was accused of adultery was set free andher accusers sheepishly dropped their rocks and walked away.
In my political vocabulary my preferred word for such hacks and hypocrites is legitimacy. The worst political scoundrels are often those without a trace of legitimacy; they are often worse than those whom they accuse of wrong- doing. For some, the place and circumstance of their
birth, coupled with their genetic composition, can result in a phenotype that may take generations to evolve into a work of human rectitude. On the other hand, there are people whom God has blessed with strong, smart, hard-working parents who teach the difference between right and wrong from infancy. Such people hardly judge others, knowing themselves.
That Thursday evening on his television show, I was stunned when Rick fed Dr. Ubaldus Raymond to the waiting lions whose jaws are stained red with the blood of the innocent. Mind you, I did not think Ubaldus had done himself or the government any favours. He ought to have known how selective are the minds of his detractors.
Besides, some opponents had previously conspired to send him naked to two young women secretly posing as innocent virgins in search of easy money. The politics of the last 22 years seem to indicate that those who resign from the Labour Party are marked for destruction.
To send a clear message that such dirty political games would not stand, and that party politics will not descend to depths of intolerance, the government has decided to investigate the latest matter surrounding Ubaldus Raymond. The nation has a right to know who the people enticing the egotistical Ubaldus Raymond are and why they aim to embarrass him and his family. The PM had a duty to step in.
Rick could have done a better job in his previous TALK show on the matter. I asked myself that evening: How on God’s green earth do Rick’s mentioned friends feature in his anti-Ubaldus Raymond sentiments? I know the answer, but wise counsel demands I keep it to myself. The fact that a week later Rick turned around and said what many may have been thinking that evening about forgiveness does more good than harm.
I suggest that Ubaldus Raymond fully co-operate with the police and give them accurate answers when asked. The PM, in his own deliberate judgment has found a suitable replacement for the seat in the Senate. I predict that the new senator will change the political equation in the south of the island more meaningfully than most. In the meantime, the PM and his UWP must find the courage and love, to tell Dr. Ubaldus Raymond, “Your sins are forgiven.” By so doing, the PM and his party will attain the peace and grace Saint Lucia so desperately needs.
