Questionable Conduct: The Jamaican Political Reality

Three book reviews of   "Dudus: The Extradition of Jamaica's #1 Drug Don" have been published; two in The Jamaica Observer and one in the Jamaica Gleaner. The first was by Rev Dr. Devon Dick entitled 'Devon Dick | Dudus Revisited By Dr Paul Ashley ' published in the Jamaica Gleaner Thursday, September 13, 2018: "Recently, Dr Paul Ashley, attorney-at-law and political commentator, published Dudus: The Extradition of Jamaica's #1 Drug Don, which recounts the "machinations of the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) to delay and frustrate the extradition of Jamaica's premier drug lord, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke." To achieve that goal, Ashley went to primary sources and published transcripts from both the Manatt, Phelps and Phillips and West Kingston commissions of enquiry. There are such documents scattered over the seven chapters. Ashley provides an overview of this watershed 2010 event then examines the confidentiality breach, the delay...

Former Prime Minister in an article entitled " The unfinished business of constitutional reform " The Jamaica Observer, Sunday, April 22,2018 listed among the "other matters which continue to languish although full agreement was reached" the requirement that only citizens of Jamaica are eligible to sit in Parliament. Given the acknowledged voter apathy, the cost of a referendum ($1b), the technicalities of the wording and the prolonged procedures involved, it is hereby suggested that both major political parties give effect to  agreement reached on the eligibility issue. This can simply be done by the adoption of candidacy guidelines that reflect such and  followed by internal vetting of likely candidates for the elections and nominees to the Senate. Prime Minister Andrew Holness indicated the current regime's position on the "dual citizenship debate" in the St. Mary by election, October 2017: "But afterwards, we have to figure out now, bec...

The alerting of Christopher "Dudus" Coke to the imminent extradition request by the United States has featured in two COE; firstly in the Manatt COE and now the Tivoli COE. Regrettably, not much light has been shed, even though Manatt COE generated much heat on the topic. The Tivoli COE  failed to further the investigation and therefore added nothing to the pool of information already in the public space. Garnett Roper writing in The Gleaner, Sunday, August 14, 2016 noted that there is no mechanism to hold those of the political class accountable for abuse of power, bad governance and "announcements that tipped off Coke so that Tivoli could be armed and barricaded and 300 gunmen recruited to declare war on the Jamaican state". The "tipping off" formed the basis of ToR (N) and ToR (O) and was disposed of in Chapter 12.[See our posts: Tivoli COE: Diddly Squat (1) and Tivoli COE: Diddly Squat (2) ] Nevertheless, there is a rather curious treatment of th...

              Date: August 24, 2009 Time Early afternoon Place: Vale Royal Topic: The Extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke Participants: Prime Minister, Hon. Bruce Golding                      Chief Defence Staff, Major General Stewart Saunders                     Commissioner of Police, Rear Adm. Hardley Lewin Only PM and the CDS gave testimony at the Tivoli COE. No reason was given for the omission of the COP. A review of the verbatim notes reveal some very interesting anomalies which will have to be resolved in the Commission’s Report. For example: i) Duration: PM Golding testified that the meeting lasted “no more than five minutes" ; whereas the CDS said that “.. we spoke with the PM for about fifteen or twenty minutes”.  Lewin elsewhere has given the impression that the meeting was unexpectedly brief: “So the PM says”...

            Apart from making a phone call to Prime Mister Bruce Golding informing him that COP Hardley Lewin and CDS Major General Stuart Saunders was in his company and had certain information which would be on interest to him, what else did Minister of National Security, Hon. Dwight Nelson, do in respect of the extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke? It is very difficult to avoid the answer: “Next to nothing”. • There is no evidence before the Tivoli COE from which one could even reasonably infer that Nelson made another phone call concerning the impending request. • Minister Nelson did not accompany the COP and the CDS to the Prime Minister and did not discuss with either of the heads of the security forces or the Prime Minister what took place at that meeting. • The Minister admitted that he absolutely did not have any responsibility in the extradition matters. • At no stage did the Minister of National Security get involved. • Nelson h...

The testimony of former Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Orette Bruce Golding and former Minister of National Security, Dwight Nelson have raised concerns about the veracity of statements concerning the Jamaica Defence Force (JCF) and Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF)  joint operations in Tivoli Gardens (TG) in May 2010. The former PM was concerned about the accuracy of the deaths reported to him by the security forces and particularly the reports by the JDF . He had received telephone calls from residents of TG complaining about extreme abuse being perpetrated by the security forces resulting in a number of fatalities. Golding sent a team including the Public Defender, Earl Witter, to ascertain the true position and even enquired of the US Embassy if there was any information on the carnage that had purportedly been taking place. In short, the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence had reason to query the information being relayed to him by the Heads of the security fo...

"The full extent of U.S. involvement in the operation remains unclear."                           Mattathias Schwartz, The New Yorker , August 3, 2012 That statement comes from the leading researcher on the role of the USA in the May 2010 military operation in Tivoli Gardens, Jamaica. The Tivoli Commission of Enquiry (COE)  cannot fulfill its mandate if it fails to clarify further the role the USA played in the operation. Clarification can come from a number of sources. Then Prime Minister & Minister of Defence, Bruce Golding, has given Schwartz a most interesting interview. However, there are certain assertions that the COE may wish to seek clarification. For example: Golding requested the US authorities  to provide "aerial surveillance"that would assist the security forces in managing the operation.Golding claims that he had in mind "satellite images." Clarify : The exact nature of the aerial s...

There has been a lot of public debate on the pros and cons of the Prime Minister calling a general election to solve the dual citizenship calamity in which the Government is now embroiled. The circumstances are: Ø Members on both sides of the aisle in the House of Parliament are said to be in possession of dual citizenship – particular valid US passports and have travelled on such since Nomination Day. Ø A number of election petitions regarding the qualification/disqualification of successful candidates are pending in the courts Ø Some Members of the House have taken steps in the revocation process; some have remained silent, hoping that their dual citizenship status cannot be proved via evidence admissible in a court of law. The Prime Minister faces a political dilemma. Ø Does he wait until the court actions have been exhausted? Ø Does he enquire into the citizenship status of all JLP Members of Parliament? Ø Does he play for time by calling a...