By Hamlet Mark
Many of us would have watched in astonishing amazement as so-called leaders effectively became apologists for rape by publicly demonising a young woman while clamouring for the release of a man who has been formally charged.
It is indeed a low period in our history, when sadly, men and even women continue to “passionately” make a case about a man being “set up” without referring to any of the real evidence in the case.
At the time of taking their stance, they had not even spoken to the man himself (because he was in custody), nor the victim, nor the police — yet they somehow came up with the position that the woman is at best a liar — or even worse — a conspirator — and that the man is innocent because “he is a nice guy.”
Well O J Simpson was a nice guy. An American sports hero to boot.
We’ve got news for you folks — nice guys can sometimes do not too nice things. Situations can make ordinarily good people do terrible things that they regret when they return to their natural selves.
The Grenada National Organisation of Women, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and all these organisations must lead the fight in speaking out on this case — and others like it, where a woman should be able to earn the right to make her case without being attacked.
This society must refuse to accept that men have right to own women’s bodies; and that even when women are victims of rape, they somehow must be blamed for it.
It must be a frightening era that people like Lydon Lewis and Findley Jeffery who are hired to teach our children and indeed supposedly instil values in them — would have so publicly participated in the character rape of a woman who had already gone through a night of terror at the hands of one of their colleagues.
The likes of Livingston Nelson and Terry Hilliare have virtually forfeited their moral authority to lead anything in this country when they have actively conspired to mislead the Tivoli and surrounding areas into believing some grievous harm was done to the accused; when the real harm — short term and long term — has been done to a woman who was “too fresh” to want to take control of her own destiny.
And this is where it gets really crazy. The likes of Randal Robinson and Terry Hillaire actively participated in this bizarre turn of events, giving this madness the stamp of approval by the National Democratic Congress.
You may wonder what politics has to do with it. I wondered that for a few minutes myself until I figured it out.
You see the real target is Hamlet Mark — and in their eyes Hamlet Mark’s biggest sin is becoming an advisor to the prime minister.
And the other sin of Hamlet Mark is providing logistic and other support as anyone should have done in the circumstances, to a colleague who needed to be transported to a medical centre and to the police station. (And God forbids something like that happens to any of my colleagues, I will be there again for them).
As if her three hours of terror were not enough, they have now put her through 300 hours of social media chatter of character assassinations.
Obviously in the process they have thrown pot shots at me; a little playing to the mêlée and scandal crowd, but mainly with a drunken tinge of color-coded politics; sweetened with their own desperation in their fight to escape their perpetual irrelevance.
But I ain’t complaining. I know what their problem with me is – it’s been 12 years in the making.
But I am not the victim here. And for that matter, neither is the man who spent a week on remand cooling his heels, before being released on bail after the system felt safe that he would not resort in the short-term to his more recent alleged aggressive ways.
I know its carnival season; but a society cannot lose its reason and give way to men and leaders who sacrilegiously shout justice only as a real ruse to give nodding approval of the concept that men can behave like brutish beasts with no consequence.
There is no sin any woman could have committed to be subjected to abuse, humiliation and terror.
In this teeming mass, we must never forget who the real victim is. We must never forget to pray for her healing; and we must never forget to remember her family. They need our support — and we do not need to apologise for supporting them.
Lewis and Scholar have bright, beautiful young daughters. These girls must grow up believing that at least their daddies would not stand to have their credibility being questioned in any situation like this, even while the other party awaits his day in court.
When did we sink so low as a nation — that a young woman — forget who she is affiliated with and who she knows — do not have the right to say she was raped and be taken seriously until proven otherwise?
Let’s also remember who the real villains are. It is not even the young man whose family is obviously hurting — and understandably so.
It is those consistent defenders of rape and abuse of any kind parading as voices in the society.
PS 1: I notice the likes of Lewis and Scholar declaring they need to get rid of Hamlet Mark. Get rid of Hamlet Mark from what? Let me give them some bad news — I don’t play in the same ball park with them. I am an independent Caribbean and international activist. We operate in different leagues.
PS 2: In 2010–2013 these same goons put a whole political operation against me and they left town. I did not.
Recommending listening: DEM AH GO TIRED TO SEE WE FACE
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