Lisa Hanna Accused of Racism for Monkey Meme Targeting Minister Robert Morgan
July 18, 2025 | Jamaica Live News Desk
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Former Miss World and sitting Member of Parliament for St. Ann South East, Lisa Hanna, has found herself at the centre of a firestorm of backlash, with accusations of racism mounting after she posted a meme depicting Government Minister Robert Nesta Morgan as a gorilla.
The controversy began on social media platform X, following a seemingly light-hearted exchange that quickly spiralled. Minister Morgan had responded to a Jamaica Observer article announcing that users of the North-South Highway can now top up their toll accounts online, thanks to a new E-pass platform launched by the Jamaica North-South Highway Company Limited (JNSHC).
Morgan’s post featured a laughing emoji alongside a picture of Hanna — a reference to her now-infamous 2017 highway incident where she was stranded after being unable to pay a toll with her credit or debit card and had to wait for a friend to bring cash.
Hanna, clearly unimpressed, clapped back with a meme of a gorilla wearing headphones in front of a microphone — audio included — with the message “You better hope say the bluedot poll right,” followed by a lengthy philosophical post referencing George Orwell’s Animal Farm, accusing Morgan of arrogance, self-congratulation, and political theatre.
Lisa Hanna
When one becomes so arrogant, so enamored with their own perceived infallibility, that they publish internal party poll numbers instead of waiting for actual election results, one begins to question not just their judgment, but whether they truly possess the confidence they pretend to wield. It is much like painting over the barn door with statistics and slogans before the harvest. The numbers may look good, but the field still decides the yield. And then, with the same pomp, they parade out an old image, a tongue-in-cheek snapshot of a now-retiring, non-campaigning politician caught years ago in a harsh moment on the toll road, to promote a new system supposedly designed to prevent such mishaps. But instead of presenting the merits of the system itself, they fixate on the embarrassment of the past, as though mockery were progress and symbolism were substance. This behavior is tantamount to Squealer climbing atop a crate, shouting victory while the grain bins stand empty. It’s self-congratulation masquerading as leadership. In Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” it was always the pigs who insisted they were in control, rewriting the commandments, manipulating the message, pretending chaos was order. They painted over the truth again and again until the final commandment stood alone: “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. Because eventually, the animals remember. And sometimes, when those in charge forget humility, the animals stop following altogether, and take control. A word to the wise is sufficient. Please leave me out of the campaigning. “Not my circus not my monkey.” I’ve retired.
She concluded her post with the phrase: “Not my circus, not my monkey. I’ve retired.”
But it was the gorilla image that ignited outrage, with many social media users accusing Hanna — who is of Lebanese descent — of engaging in racist stereotyping by likening a Black man to a primate.
Critics across the political spectrum condemned the imagery:
@BlkBillionMag: “Depicting a Black man as a gorilla is disgustingly racist behaviour.”
@nuhchat: “This ape thing is really sad and low to us of African descent.”
@goodtroublezot: “Racist much!!”
@AndreWilli72899: “This reads ‘going lower’ and a very thinly veiled referencing of the gentleman as a primate… Respect.”
Many expressed disappointment that a public figure of Hanna’s stature and visibility would engage in what they see as racially insensitive imagery, especially in a country like Jamaica where race and class continue to intersect in complex and painful ways.
Adding to the tension is Hanna’s own background — a member of Jamaica’s socio-economic elite, with roots in both Lebanese and Chinese heritage — contrasted with Morgan’s identity as a working-class Black Jamaican man who has spoken openly about growing up in Clarendon and attending local public schools.
Morgan has not directly responded to the monkey depiction, but supporters have rallied around him, framing the incident as a reflection of Jamaica’s lingering classism and racial bias, even among its political elite.
Meanwhile, Hanna insists she has retired from politics and called on Morgan and others to keep her out of election campaigning.
However, calls are now mounting for an apology — or at minimum, an explanation.
Jamaica Live will continue to monitor the fallout from this developing story.