Pierre sets the record straight: “I am not a political actor!”

As hard as I’ve tried, still I cannot find a dictionary definition for Janeka Simon’s “political actors”. She used the phrase during an on-camera interview with Miguel Fevrier, following last week’s much discussed confrontation outside the House. On Tuesday I put to the SLP leader Philip J. Pierre this question: “Based on your own understanding of the term ‘political actor’, would you say it covers journalists?” “No,” he said. “I think Janeka Simon made a perfect definition of what a political actor is.” Actually, Simon never offered a definition. What she did was express her opinion that all journalists were political actors. Pierre went on: “There’s a political actor and a political practitioner. We are political practitioners, but I don’t think that the journalist you were speaking about is a political practitioner. But she has to be a political actor.”

Suddenly switching from political practitioner to news reporter, Pierre addressed me: “Aren’t you a political actor?”

“No,” I replied, “I’m not. But you are.”

Pierre fired back with an adamant: “I’m a practitioner!” Yes, he considers himself a political practitioner, not a political actor.

It got more confusing, with Castries South MP Ernest Hilaire adding his two cents: “If you exist in the political system, you’re a political actor in a sense. You vote, you’re a political actor. If you want to get theoretical and go into what a political actor is then let’s go down that road. If you vote, you’re a political actor, if you follow politics, you’re a political actor. It’s the broadest possible conception.” A definition which would make most of this island’s population political actors.

Earlier I’d asked Pierre: “Is a journalist who doesn’t cover politics also a political actor?” His response: “Journalists, by the nature of their job, have to be involved in the politics of a country.”

Since the term “political actor” is related to “political action”, perhaps taking a closer look at the latter will help clarify what the former means. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines political action as “action designed to attain a purpose by the use of political power or by activity in political channels specifically: such action by organized labour through recognized political means (as participation in party organization, in elections, and by lobbying).” To the best of my knowledge that does not define journalists. But I continue to peruse other dictionaries, perchance to discover a useful definition for political actor. I have no doubt the Facebook lexicographers already know.

Said Simon last Tuesday: “I think that it’s unfortunate that a veteran member of parliament such as himself [Guy Joseph] would continue to confuse partisanship with political action.” But isn’t political action in democracies more often than not partisan? Now there’s another interesting question! –