​THE EDITOR: The Prime Minister, just like any one of us, has a constitutional right to freedom of thought, speech and expression.

However, unlike you and me, as leader of government he is quite possibly the most powerful man in the country. As such, his words, thoughts and expressions and even the timing of them carry greater significance than the average man or woman.

On October 21, the WI were knocked out of the T20 World Cup after losing to Ireland and finishing dead last in their group during preliminary qualifying stages of that tournament.

On November 13 – 23 days after the defeat – Dr Rowley decided to give his views on the Windies' sorry performance and what should be done to save regional cricket.

This post on his Facebook account came less than 24 hours after he posted a photo of himself and retired cricket legend Viv Richards posing at a golf course.

Right message on the state of WI cricket, but wrong timing to post it, Mr Prime Minister.

I could forgive you if you had posted your cricket thoughts while you were at home isolating after your third covid infection and out of the public limelight.

But to come on Sunday, on a weekend when there were five murders, including a woman who was battered to death and left half-naked in her own home, and a policeman being shot dead, and in the midst of a new record for murders, for your first public utterances to be about West Indies cricket was in very poor taste.

Would it not have been better sir, to commiserate with the families of those murdered? Or to recommit yourself, as head of the National Security Council, to finding ways to alleviate this horrendous spate of murders?

You had three whole weeks to comment on West Indies cricket, but your choice to do so on Sunday, when the nation remains firmly fixed on issues of crime and the economy, showed a level of insensitivity that, while no longer surprising, was nevertheless galling, especially from such an experienced politician as your good self.

Yes, sir, you have a right to express your views on any topic under the sun. But you also have a right to lead by example and show the nation you are very serious and committed to managing the affairs of state on our behalf.

What you don't have a right to do is rub in all of our faces your various privileges as PM, such as liming with VIPs or regaling us with solutions for cricket or how to mind goats.

Prove that you deeply care about your people, including those children whose letters of prayers – which they wrote while you had covid – you so proudly posted on your social media accounts.

Those very children face the real possibility of being gunned down while in their classrooms or on their way to or from school. While they are out there facing the music played by the criminals, you are safe in your office with your security detail, writing about West Indies cricket. I mean, really?

LEE MERRICK

San Fernando