Accountability needed across the board

Dennie Quill, Contributor

Some people believe Prime Minister Bruce Golding is not being recognised for what he really is - a master strategist. Here's how they explain it. Mr Golding, as astute as they come, realising the power that Christopher Coke yields not just in West Kingston, but in various inner-city communities, could not simply give him up to Uncle Sam. It could spell disaster, for if the garrison Tivoli were to turn against its member of parliament (MP) and rise up, there would be civil unrest and mayhem. So Mr Golding had to fight, and posture, and shadow box, and tell half-truths and risk his political future. In the end, the people of Tivoli and all fans of 'Dudus' will have to admit that the Prime Minister really went out to bat for Mr Coke's constitutional rights, but, of course, the mighty United States (US) will always have its way.

Sounds far-fetched? Well, maybe. However, the truth is that the US has not changed its position, it has not supplied the particulars demanded by the Golding administration and after months of agony, pain and distress it has all come down to this. The courts will decide whether Mr Coke should be extradited to stand trial for cocaine trafficking and gunrunning. I have a difficulty with the prime minister announcing that the extradition order is to be signed by the minister of justice, which suggests that all along she had not been acting independently.

There is a great lesson to be learnt by all politicians. This imbroglio about extraditing a man with political connections could have happened any time in the last 10 years. Both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP) have cultivated these shady characters and have held them in their embrace. We have watched them develop into multimillionaires via government contracts. To Mr Coke's credit, he has been able to thrive handsomely under the PNP although everyone knows he is allied to the JLP. Our politicians have so much to answer.

More sincerity needed

Repeatedly, this column has called on our members of parliament to demonstrate their sincerity to the people of Jamaica and their commitment to law and order by taking a stance against crime and violence. It has not happened. The security crisis has manifested itself in horrific murders, gang warfare and drug-related killings. Yet, we see the zeal with which the Opposition pursued the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips affair. The barrage of questions, the investigations - it was relentless. At the same time, we have five-year-olds being murdered and only a whimper is heard from Gordon House.

Mr Golding has said it shall not be business as usual. Does this mean the police will be allowed to enter all communities in pursuit of gunmen? Does this mean that MPs will now extricate themselves from the clutches of thugs and enforcers who are known to hang around them? Will politicians now say what they know? And when the don throws his blood money at the next election campaign, will it be rejected?

Just how serious we are about taking back Jamaica from marauding criminals and turning a page in this nation is yet to be seen.

Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com

Both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP) have cultivated these shady characters and have held them in their embrace. We have watched them develop into multimillionaires via government contracts.