‘You cannot champion a culture while distancing yourself from its language’

In a brief statement posted to her personal accounts, the Member of Parliament for St. James Southern and Opposition Spokesperson for Creative Industries, Culture and Information laid out her reasoning in unflinching terms and made clear she is not backing down.

“When I stood to deliver my maiden sectoral speech on culture and the creative industries, I chose to speak first in the language understood by the overwhelming majority of our people,” Burchell wrote. “Why? Because you cannot champion a culture while distancing yourself from the language that gives it life.”

The post, which has already been shared thousands of times, continued: “For too long, we have treated our creativity as a ‘ceremonial add-on’ — something to be brought out for gala performances and seasonal events. That ends now.

“If Jamaica is to build with purpose, we must stop treating culture like a side business and start treating it as serious national infrastructure.”

In previous post shared earlier on her account also, Burchell stated: “Culture is far more than entertainment. It is the mirror in which we see ourselves, the fuel behind our “revolutions, and the universal language through which the world has come to know Jamaica. It is our greatest soft power, our truest identity, and one of our strongest tools for national development.

“From Sam Sharpe to reggae, from dancehall to digital creators, from rural storytelling to global influence, Jamaica’s culture is not decoration. Culture is infrastructure.

And yes… mi did haffi remind dem seh language is apart a wi culture to.”

The controversy erupted on Wednesday as Burchell rose to deliver her maiden sectoral debate presentation on the budget. She opened with: “Madam Speaker, mi git up dis afta noon fi mek mi fuss sectoral speech…”

Before she could complete the sentence, Speaker Holness intervened, citing the Standing Orders which require standard English in Parliament. Holness warned that further violations would result in lost speaking time.

The chamber descended into crosstalk. Government MPs backed the Speaker’s ruling, while opposition members argued that she should be allowed to use the language spoken by the majority of Jamaicans in their daily lives.

Burchell eventually switched to English, but used the moment to criticise Parliament’s “linguistic conventions”, noting the irony that the local language “still struggles for full acceptance in some of our most formal, national spaces.”

Wednesday’s clash has reopened a long-simmering national conversation about the status of Jamaican patois. Linguists recognise it as a distinct creole language, yet it has no official standing in Parliament, the courts, or most state institutions — a reality that Burchell’s supporters call a colonial relic.

Critics, however, argue that the Standing Orders exist to ensure clarity and formality in legislative proceedings, and that all MPs are aware of the rules before they enter the House.

Speaker Holness has not commented publicly since the incident. Parliamentary officials have reiterated that the Standing Orders remain in full effect.

The May 13 parliamentary clash is only the latest in a series of confrontations involving the first-term MP, who was elected in September 2025.

In April, Burchell held a press conference accusing the government of neglecting her constituency after Hurricane Melissa. She claimed that St. James Southern — which makes up 53 percent of the parish’s landmass — is facing a “housing crisis”, with recovery funds yet to reach residents.

Days later, she stood alongside frustrated constituents who blocked roadways to protest impassable conditions, describing one key access route as resembling “a waterfall” rather than a road.

Burchell holds a master’s degree in Strategic Communications from the London School of Economics and previously served as Deputy General Secretary of the People’s National Party (PNP).

Parliament is expected to sit again next week. But Burchell’s social media statements leaves little doubt about her position.

“You cannot champion a culture while distancing yourself from the language that gives it life,” she wrote.

For thousands of Jamaicans sharing those words online, the question is no longer just about parliamentary procedure. It is about what kind of country Jamaica wants to be.