Lisa Hanna Under Fire For Gorilla Post

Member of parliament for South East St. Ann, the PNP’s Lisa Hanna, has come under fire on social media after she made a post that appeared to associate North Central Clarendon MP, the JLP’s Robert Morgan, with a gorilla.

The issue has dominated X with several users accusing Miss Hanna of being classist.

Mahiri Stewart reports.

The exchange between Morgan and Hanna on ‘X’ began when Morgan, the Works Minister, responded to a Jamaica Observer article about users of the North-South highway now being able to top up online as they traverse the thoroughfare.

This follows the launch of a new Online E-pass platform by the highway’s operators, Jamaica North-South Highway Company Limited, JNSHC.

In 2017, Hanna was involved in a viral incident where she lamented her treatment by a toll booth operator who refused to allow her to exit the highway because she didn’t have enough cash to pay the toll.

Hanna offered to pay the balance with her credit or debit card.

But, in the face of the steadfast refusal from the toll booth agent, had to wait for a friend to bring her cash.

Morgan posted a photo of Miss Hanna, accompanied by a laughing emoji, in response to the Observer’s tweet about the move by JNSHC to now accept online payments to use its toll road.

Hanna didn’t see the funny side.

In a post on X, she told Morgan that she hopes a recent Bluedot Poll, which shows him well ahead of his PNP rival in North Central Clarendon, is indeed correct.

Hanna attached to the tweet a picture of a gorilla, sitting with headphones on, behind a microphone.

This is the audio that accompanied the image.

Hanna then wrote a lengthy follow-up post in which she registered her displeasure with Morgan’s post, telling him she’s retired from politics.

She said, “When one becomes so arrogant, so enamoured with their own perceived infallibility, that they publish internal party poll numbers instead of waiting for actual election results.”

She continued, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. That was the moment the farce was laid bare. And in the end, the pigs weren’t toppled by rebellion, but by the rot of their own arrogance.”

Hanna ended her response to Morgan, stating, “A word to the wise is sufficient. Please leave me out of the campaigning. “Not my circus, not my monkey. I’ve retired.”

The monkey and use of imagery in audio she used appeared to irk many users on X.

One user posted, “Disappointed is beyond what many would call your actions. It’s deplorable. You owe the minister and the country an apology.”

Another post stated, “As a legislator, a public figure, and someone who sought to be opposition leader and ultimately PM, your initial response was distasteful. The monkey reference is equally unfortunate. If we speak about arrogance, infallibility, etc., it is a good idea to self-reflect.”

The backlash continued with another user of X telling Hanna, “Look at you writing an ode to oneself … a precautionary tale of how a vain, vapid and disingenuous politician has fallen from grace.”

Another tweet described Hanna’s response as distasteful, saying, “This is a nasty response. Literally using a gorilla to depict a black man. The response is unwarranted. We heard you were a horrible person. We see your true [colours] now.”

Hanna’s response to Morgan has so far attracted about 60,000 views on ‘X.’