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Political wolves and sheep
Mark Wignall
Thursday, November 08, 2007
THE purity of the motive is usually expressed to all who will hear. Politicians throw their hat in the ring and we are often told it is out of a need 'to serve'. Those of us on the outside, like journalists/columnists, members of various civil society groups and the public at large, then have the easier job of applying cynicism to our judgements and sniping at them even before they sit at their desks and assume their onerous duties.
We are certain of one thing: We do not want the job. Most of us haven't the faintest clue what to do with 2.7 million of us shouting, complaining and crying at the same time. We hardly ever take blame for our errors; it's always the other guy. We Jamaicans are the closest to 'ungovernable' as any set of people will ever be. We are largely uneducated, undereducated and close to incorrigible. Because the Opposition leader has not brought closure to the happenings of September 3, 2007 ('It is not over...'), about half of the voting population are at this time very unwilling participants in anything which the JLP government will classify as 'nation building'.
The prime minister seems tentative in his approaches. The baptism of fire wrought by consistent rainfall following on the heels of Hurricane Dean seems to have interfered with any plans he had to make an early 'report' to the nation. I have been informed that he has important issues to tell this nation and that he will be doing that either Monday or Tuesday of next week. We look forward to that.
The burning issues of finding a new commissioner of police, stemming the runaway murder rate, repairing the badly damaged road network, reforming local government and informing the nation as to the true state of the economy are priority items at this time, as they have been, it seems, forever. In addition, the light bulb scandal has once again placed us on the international list as a people all too willing to steal from our country and impoverish our people. One year ago, the PNP found itself in the embarrassing position of trying to convince those who cared to listen that over $30 million it received from Trafigura Beheer was a 'gift' and not a kickback from the multinational deal, in furtherance of Trafigura's arrangement with the government in lifting Nigerian oil and selling it on Jamaica's behalf.
The PNP gave us Colin Campbell's head on a platter as if that could somehow patch over the many holes in the divergent explanations given by them and Trafigura. One year later, the behaviour of the seasoned wolves has again come to the fore, and the saddest part of the spectacle is watching them taking young Kern Spencer down a path which he appears to be struggling against. One senses decency in the young man, the sheep in the lot. One senses the despair he feels and a need in him to open up and salvage himself, but the wolves, who pretended for over 18 years that it was all about government for the people, have declared their hands, openly and loudly.
The true state of the politics in those years was the underlying predation and the fattening of those 'genetically connected'. I do not believe that the young parliamentarian cried in the House because Minister Mullings, a lawyer, was misrepresenting the facts. The information I have on the matter 'ain't pretty' either, and I am certain that when the full investigations are in, much of the useless rattling in the PNP will be very muffled.
Many years ago, I criticised both youth arms of the PNP and JLP. In them I saw facsimiles of the wolves in both parties.
There was no attempt on the part of the youngsters to renew the politics. It was mostly about aping their elders and learning how to cuss in Parliament. Most of the youngsters in the youth arm of both parties wanted nothing more than political space so that they could have their bite of the tasty and filling pie when the openings arose. G2K changed the outlook and for the first time I sensed real renewal. Clive Mullings, the very minister whose probing and questionings led to Kern Spencer's tears, is an alumnus of G2K, the professional youth arm of the JLP.
Crisis of Leadership in JCF
What must we make of Reneto Adams? If it were all left up to the public, Adams would be commissioner of police tomorrow. I believe even he knows that the Police Services Commission (PSC) is not exactly looking in his direction. But the question is, why is he so popular among the public? First, although I believe the public is fed up with the violent crime and the ferocity of some of the murders, we need to say to ourselves that we are not willing to take anymore. We are not there yet. In the interim, the perception is that the gunmen are afraid of Adams and that only he can drive the fear of God into them. It is a hard sell trying to convince Jamaicans that a good commissioner must be more than that.
Second, the police force is rotten to the core and the vast majority of the officer corps need to go home, or attend to their private businesses, which most of them are operating at the very time that they are officially on the job. Drug dons control most police jurisdictions, and in instances even policemen with the rank of constable and corporal exert more power than some divisional commanders because of the influence of drugs. One retired policeman told me of an instance where a Jamaican drug don with an oriental name waltzed into the office of a newly transferred superintendent of police, planted a briefcase of money on his desk and while walking out, said to him, '"You work for me now." End of story.
There' s one well-known don who makes it a habit to pass on guns to corrupt cops when they murder men in 'shootouts'. Most policemen know him and have reason to suspect that he is illegally importing firearms. He makes it a habit to 'buy' policemen and at times, depending on the politics of the moment, he sometimes controls whole police divisions.
Two years ago, newly appointed Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas told us that some policemen were selling ammunition to gunmen. And we heard nothing further from him. How would Adams treat that matter? The new commissioner of police cannot come from the ranks, because the passage through the ranks is exposure to an advanced course in corruption.
observemark@gmail.com
Mark Wignall
Thursday, November 08, 2007
THE purity of the motive is usually expressed to all who will hear. Politicians throw their hat in the ring and we are often told it is out of a need 'to serve'. Those of us on the outside, like journalists/columnists, members of various civil society groups and the public at large, then have the easier job of applying cynicism to our judgements and sniping at them even before they sit at their desks and assume their onerous duties.
We are certain of one thing: We do not want the job. Most of us haven't the faintest clue what to do with 2.7 million of us shouting, complaining and crying at the same time. We hardly ever take blame for our errors; it's always the other guy. We Jamaicans are the closest to 'ungovernable' as any set of people will ever be. We are largely uneducated, undereducated and close to incorrigible. Because the Opposition leader has not brought closure to the happenings of September 3, 2007 ('It is not over...'), about half of the voting population are at this time very unwilling participants in anything which the JLP government will classify as 'nation building'.
The prime minister seems tentative in his approaches. The baptism of fire wrought by consistent rainfall following on the heels of Hurricane Dean seems to have interfered with any plans he had to make an early 'report' to the nation. I have been informed that he has important issues to tell this nation and that he will be doing that either Monday or Tuesday of next week. We look forward to that.
The burning issues of finding a new commissioner of police, stemming the runaway murder rate, repairing the badly damaged road network, reforming local government and informing the nation as to the true state of the economy are priority items at this time, as they have been, it seems, forever. In addition, the light bulb scandal has once again placed us on the international list as a people all too willing to steal from our country and impoverish our people. One year ago, the PNP found itself in the embarrassing position of trying to convince those who cared to listen that over $30 million it received from Trafigura Beheer was a 'gift' and not a kickback from the multinational deal, in furtherance of Trafigura's arrangement with the government in lifting Nigerian oil and selling it on Jamaica's behalf.
The PNP gave us Colin Campbell's head on a platter as if that could somehow patch over the many holes in the divergent explanations given by them and Trafigura. One year later, the behaviour of the seasoned wolves has again come to the fore, and the saddest part of the spectacle is watching them taking young Kern Spencer down a path which he appears to be struggling against. One senses decency in the young man, the sheep in the lot. One senses the despair he feels and a need in him to open up and salvage himself, but the wolves, who pretended for over 18 years that it was all about government for the people, have declared their hands, openly and loudly.
The true state of the politics in those years was the underlying predation and the fattening of those 'genetically connected'. I do not believe that the young parliamentarian cried in the House because Minister Mullings, a lawyer, was misrepresenting the facts. The information I have on the matter 'ain't pretty' either, and I am certain that when the full investigations are in, much of the useless rattling in the PNP will be very muffled.
Many years ago, I criticised both youth arms of the PNP and JLP. In them I saw facsimiles of the wolves in both parties.
There was no attempt on the part of the youngsters to renew the politics. It was mostly about aping their elders and learning how to cuss in Parliament. Most of the youngsters in the youth arm of both parties wanted nothing more than political space so that they could have their bite of the tasty and filling pie when the openings arose. G2K changed the outlook and for the first time I sensed real renewal. Clive Mullings, the very minister whose probing and questionings led to Kern Spencer's tears, is an alumnus of G2K, the professional youth arm of the JLP.
Crisis of Leadership in JCF
What must we make of Reneto Adams? If it were all left up to the public, Adams would be commissioner of police tomorrow. I believe even he knows that the Police Services Commission (PSC) is not exactly looking in his direction. But the question is, why is he so popular among the public? First, although I believe the public is fed up with the violent crime and the ferocity of some of the murders, we need to say to ourselves that we are not willing to take anymore. We are not there yet. In the interim, the perception is that the gunmen are afraid of Adams and that only he can drive the fear of God into them. It is a hard sell trying to convince Jamaicans that a good commissioner must be more than that.
Second, the police force is rotten to the core and the vast majority of the officer corps need to go home, or attend to their private businesses, which most of them are operating at the very time that they are officially on the job. Drug dons control most police jurisdictions, and in instances even policemen with the rank of constable and corporal exert more power than some divisional commanders because of the influence of drugs. One retired policeman told me of an instance where a Jamaican drug don with an oriental name waltzed into the office of a newly transferred superintendent of police, planted a briefcase of money on his desk and while walking out, said to him, '"You work for me now." End of story.
There' s one well-known don who makes it a habit to pass on guns to corrupt cops when they murder men in 'shootouts'. Most policemen know him and have reason to suspect that he is illegally importing firearms. He makes it a habit to 'buy' policemen and at times, depending on the politics of the moment, he sometimes controls whole police divisions.
Two years ago, newly appointed Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas told us that some policemen were selling ammunition to gunmen. And we heard nothing further from him. How would Adams treat that matter? The new commissioner of police cannot come from the ranks, because the passage through the ranks is exposure to an advanced course in corruption.
observemark@gmail.com
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