I REFER to Ralph Maraj’s column,
“The Inauguration of Nothingness”,
in Wednesday’s Express.
Being a playwright himself, Mr Maraj would be all too familiar
with Shakespeare’s immortal line, “To be or not to be”, from the play Hamlet. After a distinguished
career in the judiciary, citizen Anthony
Carmona
had a difficult decision to make regarding
taking up the presidency
as he was about to assume a lucrative post at the International
Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. In the end, he answered the call to serve and “To be”. To be someone the children
can look up to, to be in a position
to make a difference, to be a stabilising force in the society.
In one fell swoop, Mr Carmona answered the question posed by the great playwright, “To be or not to be”. How does one equate that with nothingness?
I am sure Mr Maraj, who appreciates good language and delivery, must have applauded the President’s eloquent inauguration
address. Was that speech nothingness? No one will question
that the powers of our President will be restricted by the Constitution; the tragedy is when we disrespect the office-holder, even before he has taken office. He deserves better.
In a country where good role models and heroes are in short supply, the celebration of our new President
is appropriate and timely. If we were to follow the criterion of nothingness used by Mr Maraj, then Pope Francis should have been installed
without much fanfare.Raymond Chin Asangvia e-mail