Questionable Conduct: The Jamaican Political Reality

The Report of the Tivoli COE is expected around mid-April , some two (2) months after the end of the public hearings. Those public hearings took place over some fourteen (14) calendar months. The Terms of Reference (TOR) of the Western Kingston Commission of Enquiry states iner alia: “ 2. The Commission shall use its best efforts to conclude its enquiry within three (3) months after it commences, and shall make a full and faithful report on and recommendations concerning the aforesaid matters, and transmit the same to His Excellency the Most Honourable Governor General, within two (2) months after concluding its enquiry.”  Obviously there was the expectation that the public hearing would have lasted some three (3) consecutive calendar months from the date of commencement baring any unavoidable and unforeseeable delays. Similarly the Report should be submitted to the Governor- General within two (2 ) consecutive calendar months of concluding of its enquiry, baring any u...

The Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding has sought to justify the multi- million dollar budget provided for the Tivoli Commission of Enquiry. We renew our call for the Ministry of Finance and/or the Ministry of Justice to publish the full details of the budget for this enquiry, We intend to summarise some of the arguments advanced and to question the rationale informing those considerations: The GOJ was intent on getting Commissioners and legal counsel of the highest integrity, professional competence and experience.  That  came at considerable costs, even after some amount of negotiation. This presumes that they are no Jamaicans being held in such high regard with the requisite professional competence and experience to chair the Commission. Consequently the GOJ had to look elsewhere to find a chairman who, apart from being suitably equipped, would not be perceived as being "tainted" by local partisan politics. We disagree fundamentally with that approach. ...