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Lie Or No Lie, Bruce Must Resign
Lie Or No Lie, Bruce Must Resign
Published: Tuesday | May 18, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Gordon Robinson, attorney-at-law, Contributor
The Jamaica Labour Party's defence of its leader is centred on defending an allegation that he lied to Parliament. But nobody has made that allegation. Certainly, I have not. It's clearly alleged that he misled Parliament which is a different spinning of webs entirely.
But, it's not so much the misleading, or even lying, that's the real resigning issue. The prime minister must resign because of his actions - the misleading was intended to cover up. My own reasons for concluding that resignation is the only option are clearly set out in an article (My kingdom for a don) published on Sunday, May 16 and they are:
(1) He sanctioned a scheme that included persistent attempts by the JLP's lawyer to induce the solicitor general of Jamaica (SG) to retain a JLP lobbyist to act for the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and thereby embark upon what the prime minister himself has admitted would've been an irreconcilable conflict of interest and duty;
(2) He sanctioned a scheme that included a transparent conspiracy between the JLP and a foreign lobbyist for the lobbyist to worm its way unlawfully into government-to-government negotiations on behalf of the JLP under the pretence that it was acting for the GOJ;
(3) The prime minister never once warned the SG of the murky ethical waters into which he was being led nor did he warn US State Department/Justice officials that they were dealing with an impostor.
These are matters in which the prime minister either expressly colluded or for which he's expressly responsible having "sanctioned the initiative". Against the backdrop that this initiative was hatched in order to subvert the extradition process of a person indicted for drug and gunrunning charges; against the backdrop of more than 500 murders so far this year (as opposed to 150-odd in a panic-stricken Chicago and 160-odd in Iraq); and against the backdrop of the established link between politics and crime in Jamaica - this is why he must resign.
Alleged breach
We must never forget that the Government's refusal to have the courts enquire into the extradition request is based on an alleged breach of the Interception of Communications Act which cannot be proved for the simple reason that the Government doesn't have all the facts. We must never forget that the US government has disclosed to the Jamaican Government that, in addition to the telephone tapes, they have the live witnesses who spoke to "the president" and who have testified that they carried out his instructions.
The tapes are unnecessary. The US can easily convict without them.
So, what was the purpose of the initiative if Karl Samuda's latest story is to be believed which is that it wasn't the JLP's purpose that the extradition request was to be withdrawn? Was the purpose then to find out who the witnesses were? The first knee-jerk reaction by the Government in September was to ask for their names. Did the initiative include a plot to prise these names from the US government under the pretext of a local settlement of the impasse? If the request was to remain, but Presi wasn't to be extradited, what other purpose could there be for the initiative?
The prime minister must stop telling us what was NOT the purpose of his initiative and tell us exactly what that purpose was. He must place all the cards on the table. Who was Brady's client? Obviously, it must be a person within the JLP who is also very close to West Kingston since nobody else would have the interest in the proceedings or the clout to raise the funding. Who fits that bill? Who paid that bill? Driva says he knows who. He must tell us or resign. He must establish beyond peradventure that the scheme wasn't his. Or resign.
And, if this stubborn, disgraceful, arrogant dismissal of the people's concerns continues, I call upon the private sector of Jamaica and the Church to rescue us from Driva. Stop preaching. Don't issue another statement. No member of the private sector or the Church must sit on a single government board or participate in a single government programme until Driva comes clean and resigns. And, even if when he comes clean, it shows that he knew not that he knew not, he must still resign. He sanctioned the initiative.
I implore the press to stop permitting the JLP to continue to respond to a red herring and to focus on the real issues.
Peace and Love.
Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.
Published: Tuesday | May 18, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Gordon Robinson, attorney-at-law, Contributor
The Jamaica Labour Party's defence of its leader is centred on defending an allegation that he lied to Parliament. But nobody has made that allegation. Certainly, I have not. It's clearly alleged that he misled Parliament which is a different spinning of webs entirely.
But, it's not so much the misleading, or even lying, that's the real resigning issue. The prime minister must resign because of his actions - the misleading was intended to cover up. My own reasons for concluding that resignation is the only option are clearly set out in an article (My kingdom for a don) published on Sunday, May 16 and they are:
(1) He sanctioned a scheme that included persistent attempts by the JLP's lawyer to induce the solicitor general of Jamaica (SG) to retain a JLP lobbyist to act for the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and thereby embark upon what the prime minister himself has admitted would've been an irreconcilable conflict of interest and duty;
(2) He sanctioned a scheme that included a transparent conspiracy between the JLP and a foreign lobbyist for the lobbyist to worm its way unlawfully into government-to-government negotiations on behalf of the JLP under the pretence that it was acting for the GOJ;
(3) The prime minister never once warned the SG of the murky ethical waters into which he was being led nor did he warn US State Department/Justice officials that they were dealing with an impostor.
These are matters in which the prime minister either expressly colluded or for which he's expressly responsible having "sanctioned the initiative". Against the backdrop that this initiative was hatched in order to subvert the extradition process of a person indicted for drug and gunrunning charges; against the backdrop of more than 500 murders so far this year (as opposed to 150-odd in a panic-stricken Chicago and 160-odd in Iraq); and against the backdrop of the established link between politics and crime in Jamaica - this is why he must resign.
Alleged breach
We must never forget that the Government's refusal to have the courts enquire into the extradition request is based on an alleged breach of the Interception of Communications Act which cannot be proved for the simple reason that the Government doesn't have all the facts. We must never forget that the US government has disclosed to the Jamaican Government that, in addition to the telephone tapes, they have the live witnesses who spoke to "the president" and who have testified that they carried out his instructions.
The tapes are unnecessary. The US can easily convict without them.
So, what was the purpose of the initiative if Karl Samuda's latest story is to be believed which is that it wasn't the JLP's purpose that the extradition request was to be withdrawn? Was the purpose then to find out who the witnesses were? The first knee-jerk reaction by the Government in September was to ask for their names. Did the initiative include a plot to prise these names from the US government under the pretext of a local settlement of the impasse? If the request was to remain, but Presi wasn't to be extradited, what other purpose could there be for the initiative?
The prime minister must stop telling us what was NOT the purpose of his initiative and tell us exactly what that purpose was. He must place all the cards on the table. Who was Brady's client? Obviously, it must be a person within the JLP who is also very close to West Kingston since nobody else would have the interest in the proceedings or the clout to raise the funding. Who fits that bill? Who paid that bill? Driva says he knows who. He must tell us or resign. He must establish beyond peradventure that the scheme wasn't his. Or resign.
And, if this stubborn, disgraceful, arrogant dismissal of the people's concerns continues, I call upon the private sector of Jamaica and the Church to rescue us from Driva. Stop preaching. Don't issue another statement. No member of the private sector or the Church must sit on a single government board or participate in a single government programme until Driva comes clean and resigns. And, even if when he comes clean, it shows that he knew not that he knew not, he must still resign. He sanctioned the initiative.
I implore the press to stop permitting the JLP to continue to respond to a red herring and to focus on the real issues.
Peace and Love.
Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.
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