Questionable Conduct: The Jamaican Political Reality

The following in the unedited version of a letter written by (Ret.) Col. Allan Douglas which was published in the Jamaica Observer, Tuesday, December 09, 2014 titled "Not too late to salvage integrity from Tivoli commission" Dear Editor, With the commencement of the Tivoli Commission of Enquiry into the shooting deaths of 76 Jamaicans by the security forces in May 2010, the Jamaican Government faces one of its biggest tests in terms of integrity, transparency, and ensuring the just and equitable administration of the law. However, early indications are that the commission could easily turn out to be a farce, and that the hopes of Jamaicans that the government will ensure a just and meaningful outcome through an impartial investigation by the Tivoli COE could end up in tatters. For the past several months, in letters to this newspaper, I have called for a fair and just investigation into the events that happened in May 2010. Along with several other Jamaicans, our ca...

There is growing public controversy about the appointment on Velma Hylton Q.C as one of the members of the 3- panel commission   to enquire into the events of the May 10 , 2011 involved the armed confrontation between civilians and the Security Forces in and around Tivoli Gardens. The stated aim of the exercise was the capture of Christopher Michael Coke aka Dudus, Prezi, Shortman for whom an arrest warrant was issued as part of an Extradition request by the US Government. Dudus reportedly escaped the dragnet; 76 persons were reportedly killed during the exercise; many were detained and a plethora of reports of Human Rights violations and property damage surfaced.   The "Tivoli incursion" occurred under a   Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration headed by Orette Bruce Golding who, apart from being Prime Minister, was also Minister of Defence. Tivoli Gardens was considered as the human resource base of the JLP and the fact that it's leader could authourise such ...