Hot 97.1 FM morning host and commentator Chris Jones delivered a fiery, impassioned message to Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday, warning him to immediately “put your foot down” and stop allowing opposition figure Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and regional leaders to run roughshod over his premiership.
Speaking live on the AM Mayhem morning show, an exasperated Jones pulled no punches, declaring that Friday’s mild-mannered “kumbaya” approach is leaving him vulnerable to being sidelined and undermined by his political rival on the regional stage.
Addressing the Prime Minister directly, Jones argued that Friday’s desire to govern differently from the previous administration has backfired into weakness.
“Listen man, Dr. Friday need to start to put the foot down. You need to start to put your foot down,” Jones urged.
“I understood the messaging in that you don’t want to be like [the past administration], and I get it in parts. But by you making that statement and coming into government and saying you don’t want to be like, or you’re not going to be like, or you’re not going to do—you’re allowing yourself to become the village bicycle and everybody is going to take a ride off of you. And right now you have somebody riding who just will not come off.”
Jones stressed that leadership demands authority: “You need to put your foot down and stamp your weight as the Prime Minister of the country.”
Jones pointed directly to recent regional events—referencing Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne and encounters involving Gonsalves (“boss hog”)—contrasting how Gonsalves was allowed to operate versus what would have happened had roles been reversed.
“Failing to do that, you will have more encounters like what you had. Because sit down and think for two minutes, Doc: if you were in opposition, there ain’t no way under the blood of Jesus you was going anyway close to that, and partner light you up and maybe light up the whole region as well,” Jones exclaimed.
“Come off of this kumbaya arena,” Jones continued. “Yes, I could see that certain things and certain roads ain’t going in and try and do certain things, and I get that. But it have certain things you have to put your foot down, partner. You ain’t come here to make friends. You ain’t come here to be popular. You come here to serve a people and a country. Deal with that! Don’t let somebody come from behind and undermine you all the time.”
Venturing into raw, unvarnished commentary, Jones stated that watching the Prime Minister being undermined from behind has become deeply frustrating for citizens.
“It has no personal bearing on me, but my brother, you are the man. You are the HNIC—the head nigga in charge. He is not,” Jones stated. “Let it be seen as such. You cannot have this fella coming and just digging up the dirt where you walk on and throw it one side. Dude, come on. You weren’t elected to go through that.”
Warning of lasting political consequences, Jones insisted that Friday cannot govern out of a desire to be universally liked.
“You ain’t sign up to be most pretty. You ain’t sign up to be most friendly. So, you need to put a handle on this, brother. Otherwise, this is going to haunt you all your days,” Jones cautioned. “All of them from Gaston to whoever, all of them was getting my pen and paper—all of my disapproval of this. We ain’t pulling no punches with this. We ain’t smiling with this. We not doing this.”
