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Let the truth come out!
HEART TO HEART
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Dear Reader,
Just when the Golding government felt that the heat was off from the "Dudus" affair, and the administration's spin doctors seemingly satisfied with the made-over, "reincarnated" image of the prime minister, another bolt of lightning hit with the revelations made last week by former police commissioner, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin.
It was the kind of television interview that Jamaicans are unaccustomed to seeing in a country where cover-up and complicity are the name of the game. Determined not to mince words, the man who had also been army chief shared information not heard before about the early days of the extradition process. As he spoke, a much clearer picture emerged of the beginnings of what would become one of the worst scandals in Jamaica's history. Then Admiral Lewin dropped the bomb. Speaking firmly and forthrightly, he told the nation that within minutes of his disclosure of the extradition request to the country's security minister, the information was leaked to Christopher "Dudus" Coke.
Before the words could leave his mouth, it was clear that the former head of both the JDF and the JCF would be in for a battering. Immediately, the government's attack machine cranked up, with the Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson calling Admiral Lewin "a bitter and vengeful man" and stating that "his reckless outburst must be attributed to his abject failure as commissioner of police".
It didn't take long for the partisan pit bulls to move on the cue from their leaders and rear their heads in defence of the government, and as predictably as day follows night, they reduced what should be a serious and sober debate into a partisan political "murder the messenger" campaign.
As far as I am concerned, Admiral Lewin has basically helped to frame the picture of collusion and complicity already painted by the Americans and subsequently borne out by the events of the last several weeks. His revelations have merely confirmed what most Jamaicans have deduced about the relationship between Coke and the Jamaica Labour Party, and have helped to explain the discovery of the extradition papers reported to have been found in Coke's presidential office in Tivoli during the incursion by the security forces. They also serve to explain why Lewin handed in his resignation after August last year.
It is interesting that since the find in Tivoli Gardens, not a word has been uttered about how Coke might have come by his own extradition documents, and it is clear that if some people in the society have their way, the alleged leak referred to by Lewin may also never be investigated. It's called "justice Jamaica-style" - meaning that when certain allegations are made that implicate certain powerful people in the society, the strategy is to "murder the messenger and bury the story".
Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin would not be the only victim of organised character assassination. The same strategy has been attempted over and over with Contractor General Greg Christie by both sides of the political fence, albeit unsuccessfully. The difference, of course, between Greg Christie and Hardley Lewin is the ability to corroborate the claim. It seems to me that it is going to be extremely difficult for Lewin to provide evidence of the alleged leak, and I suspect that the government is well aware of that.
If any of us thought that the allegations made by the former police chief would be dealt with as responsible ministers of government and properly functioning governmental systems are supposed to work, we had better not hold our breath. The security minister's version of good governance is to engage in personal attacks, some of which are completely ludicrous and downright hypocritical.
The one that I find most incredibly dishonest is the minister's assertion that Lewin's performance as police commissioner was an "abject failure". Somebody needs to ask Dwight Nelson exactly how he expected the commissioner of police to clean up crime with the links we now know that exist between powerful criminal networks and the political directorate. How could Lewin have made a difference in stemming the inflow of guns, for example, when those accused of gun trafficking are alleged to have strong ties with the governing party?
Minister Nelson needs to tell us whether his statement was meant for comic relief, or if he expects decent, intelligent people to take him seriously. He needs to be reminded that he was security minister during Lewin's tenure, so if Lewin was an "abject failure", so was he! If Minister Nelson really wants us to take him seriously he should announce that the government intends to pursue the matter of possible leaks to "Dudus" Coke through the proper legal channels, and to delineate how the links between criminal networks and politicians are going to be severed.
We need to remind Minister Nelson that were it not for the persistent pressure applied by the United States, everything would have remained "status quo", that is, Coke would not have been fingered and apprehended, and Tivoli Gardens would have persisted as the "mother of all garrisions". Please don't take us for fools, Minister Nelson!
Clearly, it is going to be difficult for Admiral Hardley Lewin to substantiate the allegations of a leak to "Dudus" Coke without wire-tapping evidence or confessions from Coke himself, and both those sources are either impossible or unlikely to materialise. So legally, I imagine that we are at a dead end with this one. Given the encumbrances, it will be interesting to see if libel charges will be laid against Lewin and how exactly the matter will be pursued.
But Mr Golding must be aware that he has a bigger case to fight in the court of public opinion in trying to convince the Jamaican people that we should take his word over that of Admiral Lewin, after he, the prime minister, lied to the nation in Parliament. His administration might as well abandon the "spin" campaign and let the truth come out!
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...e-out-_7774865
HEART TO HEART
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Dear Reader,
Just when the Golding government felt that the heat was off from the "Dudus" affair, and the administration's spin doctors seemingly satisfied with the made-over, "reincarnated" image of the prime minister, another bolt of lightning hit with the revelations made last week by former police commissioner, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin.
It was the kind of television interview that Jamaicans are unaccustomed to seeing in a country where cover-up and complicity are the name of the game. Determined not to mince words, the man who had also been army chief shared information not heard before about the early days of the extradition process. As he spoke, a much clearer picture emerged of the beginnings of what would become one of the worst scandals in Jamaica's history. Then Admiral Lewin dropped the bomb. Speaking firmly and forthrightly, he told the nation that within minutes of his disclosure of the extradition request to the country's security minister, the information was leaked to Christopher "Dudus" Coke.
Before the words could leave his mouth, it was clear that the former head of both the JDF and the JCF would be in for a battering. Immediately, the government's attack machine cranked up, with the Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson calling Admiral Lewin "a bitter and vengeful man" and stating that "his reckless outburst must be attributed to his abject failure as commissioner of police".
It didn't take long for the partisan pit bulls to move on the cue from their leaders and rear their heads in defence of the government, and as predictably as day follows night, they reduced what should be a serious and sober debate into a partisan political "murder the messenger" campaign.
As far as I am concerned, Admiral Lewin has basically helped to frame the picture of collusion and complicity already painted by the Americans and subsequently borne out by the events of the last several weeks. His revelations have merely confirmed what most Jamaicans have deduced about the relationship between Coke and the Jamaica Labour Party, and have helped to explain the discovery of the extradition papers reported to have been found in Coke's presidential office in Tivoli during the incursion by the security forces. They also serve to explain why Lewin handed in his resignation after August last year.
It is interesting that since the find in Tivoli Gardens, not a word has been uttered about how Coke might have come by his own extradition documents, and it is clear that if some people in the society have their way, the alleged leak referred to by Lewin may also never be investigated. It's called "justice Jamaica-style" - meaning that when certain allegations are made that implicate certain powerful people in the society, the strategy is to "murder the messenger and bury the story".
Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin would not be the only victim of organised character assassination. The same strategy has been attempted over and over with Contractor General Greg Christie by both sides of the political fence, albeit unsuccessfully. The difference, of course, between Greg Christie and Hardley Lewin is the ability to corroborate the claim. It seems to me that it is going to be extremely difficult for Lewin to provide evidence of the alleged leak, and I suspect that the government is well aware of that.
If any of us thought that the allegations made by the former police chief would be dealt with as responsible ministers of government and properly functioning governmental systems are supposed to work, we had better not hold our breath. The security minister's version of good governance is to engage in personal attacks, some of which are completely ludicrous and downright hypocritical.
The one that I find most incredibly dishonest is the minister's assertion that Lewin's performance as police commissioner was an "abject failure". Somebody needs to ask Dwight Nelson exactly how he expected the commissioner of police to clean up crime with the links we now know that exist between powerful criminal networks and the political directorate. How could Lewin have made a difference in stemming the inflow of guns, for example, when those accused of gun trafficking are alleged to have strong ties with the governing party?
Minister Nelson needs to tell us whether his statement was meant for comic relief, or if he expects decent, intelligent people to take him seriously. He needs to be reminded that he was security minister during Lewin's tenure, so if Lewin was an "abject failure", so was he! If Minister Nelson really wants us to take him seriously he should announce that the government intends to pursue the matter of possible leaks to "Dudus" Coke through the proper legal channels, and to delineate how the links between criminal networks and politicians are going to be severed.
We need to remind Minister Nelson that were it not for the persistent pressure applied by the United States, everything would have remained "status quo", that is, Coke would not have been fingered and apprehended, and Tivoli Gardens would have persisted as the "mother of all garrisions". Please don't take us for fools, Minister Nelson!
Clearly, it is going to be difficult for Admiral Hardley Lewin to substantiate the allegations of a leak to "Dudus" Coke without wire-tapping evidence or confessions from Coke himself, and both those sources are either impossible or unlikely to materialise. So legally, I imagine that we are at a dead end with this one. Given the encumbrances, it will be interesting to see if libel charges will be laid against Lewin and how exactly the matter will be pursued.
But Mr Golding must be aware that he has a bigger case to fight in the court of public opinion in trying to convince the Jamaican people that we should take his word over that of Admiral Lewin, after he, the prime minister, lied to the nation in Parliament. His administration might as well abandon the "spin" campaign and let the truth come out!
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...e-out-_7774865
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