THE EDITOR: With everything this country is facing, one cannot help but find a way to laugh at serious issues as a way of coping with what strikes me as abject stupidity from political, corporate, religious and now military leadership.

Why? Because it's all about showmanship and one-upmanship.

As a mother of two boys I know a few things about jealousy. And when I sit down and listen to what the Chief of Defence Staff is saying about the state of emergency, what else could I think but that there might be a level of jealousy in how much more effective the police and the leadership have become.

Basically it's like 'they jealous Gary.'

How could the lead figure in our defence force actually complain to the media about the police commissioner not mentioning them in press reports? It is childish and ridiculous in the extreme. The Chief of Defence Staff wants the 44 out of 5,000 soldiers supporting thousands of police officers to be given credit.

What is the coast guard doing when it is not supporting the police with illegal entry along our borders. Have the sailors been fishing rather that protecting our borders?

Numbers and percentages are clearly not the chief of defence staff's strong suit. Last month he said the coast guard patrols 1,000 hours a week. All these hours and people are still coming into this country like our borders are a revolving door. Yet he wants credit from the police for joint patrols with the princely 44 soldiers?

Is it jealousy that one arm of the State's defence and protection, the police, is achieving results when another arm, the defence force, is spending hours and achieving little? In a pandemic and SoE, is the chief of defence staff trying to ride the CoP's coat-tails?

I mean, it's tantamount to the chief asking the CoP to 'say something nice bout meh nah.' It's ridiculous! Especially when we recall the protests and unrest that came out of nowhere last year without a single soldier showing up.

At this point, if the chief has nothing positive and effective to contribute, just be quiet. Rather than occupying media space, media time and public attention for what was basically a cry for attention.

KIENCE JOSEPH

via e-mail