Questionable Conduct: The Jamaican Political Reality

Attorney- General, the Honourable Patrick Atkinson, Q.C. has risen to the defence of the appointment of Velma Hylton, Q.C. as one of three commissioners in the Tivoli COE . The learned gentleman read in Parliament from " Statement to Parliament on the Tivoli Commission of Enquiry by Patrick Atkinson, Attorney General, Tuesday, March 04, 2014" It should be noted that   no reliance was placed on the verbatim notes of the proceedings of the Snoring Commission which would have substantiated, or otherwise, the quotations in the public domain and the context in which the assertions were made. Interestingly, reference to such was strongly recommended by Velma Hylton herself in her response at the time. See Hylton Hiccups(2) As an attorney, more so as the PNP Government's principal legal advisor, it is of critical importance to embark on such research in order to make an "informed decision". Instead the Attorney- General, like all public commentators, soug...

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 ...

The Government of Jamaica (GOJ) has announced the establishment of a Commission of Enquiry (COE) to enquire into the circumstances surrounding the armed confrontation between members of the Security Forces and armed civilians primarily in Tivoli Gardens/ Denham Town area on and around May 10, 2010.                                                                               General Concerns The announcement of the Tivoli COE has been accompanied by an admission that there is no budget as yet for the exercise and no scheduled commencement date. However, the Minister of Justice is hoping that the...