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No plans to disband JDF - Golding
BALFORD HENRY, Observer writer
Friday, August 10, 2007
JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) leader, Bruce Golding, Tuesday night reiterated his party's position that it has no intention of disbanding the Jamaica Defence Force(JDF), if elected to office on August 27.
"A rumour has been spread within the army that when we come to power, we are going to disband the army and turn everybody into policemen. Nothing could be further from the truth," Golding said.
He was speaking at a post-nomination public meeting at Fletcher's Land Square in his West Kingston constituency.
Golding said that although the JLP's spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith, addressed the issue weeks ago, the rumour has persisted.
"I keep getting complaints from people in the army that they are being told, inside the army, that they must vote PNP (People's National Party) because if they vote labour, the JLP is going to disband the army," he said.
"That is really rubbish, because we can't afford to," Golding said. "We need that army. We are faced with such challenges in terms of the security of the country that we need to strengthen that army."
He said that what the JLP is insisting on, and which has been made quite clear in the party's manifesto, is that since the army has to interact so often with the public it has to be trained how to treat civilians and to respect their human rights.
"Since the army spends most of its time, in terms of its active duty, supporting the police force on the streets, dealing with citizens, then we need to look at the training of the soldiers," Golding said.
"Since the army is so frequently used to support the police on the streets, and is not everytime that you see the army on the streets that the police are there, and they are going to have to interact and interface with the citizens, we say that, in the training programme for the soldiers, we would like them to institute some training in civilian law enforcement so that when he goes on the streets, with his gun and his bayonet, he also has an understanding and an appreciation of the fundamental rights of the citizens and he will know how to treat ordinary Jamaicans. That is what we say," he added.
BALFORD HENRY, Observer writer
Friday, August 10, 2007
JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) leader, Bruce Golding, Tuesday night reiterated his party's position that it has no intention of disbanding the Jamaica Defence Force(JDF), if elected to office on August 27.
"A rumour has been spread within the army that when we come to power, we are going to disband the army and turn everybody into policemen. Nothing could be further from the truth," Golding said.
He was speaking at a post-nomination public meeting at Fletcher's Land Square in his West Kingston constituency.
Golding said that although the JLP's spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith, addressed the issue weeks ago, the rumour has persisted.
"I keep getting complaints from people in the army that they are being told, inside the army, that they must vote PNP (People's National Party) because if they vote labour, the JLP is going to disband the army," he said.
"That is really rubbish, because we can't afford to," Golding said. "We need that army. We are faced with such challenges in terms of the security of the country that we need to strengthen that army."
He said that what the JLP is insisting on, and which has been made quite clear in the party's manifesto, is that since the army has to interact so often with the public it has to be trained how to treat civilians and to respect their human rights.
"Since the army spends most of its time, in terms of its active duty, supporting the police force on the streets, dealing with citizens, then we need to look at the training of the soldiers," Golding said.
"Since the army is so frequently used to support the police on the streets, and is not everytime that you see the army on the streets that the police are there, and they are going to have to interact and interface with the citizens, we say that, in the training programme for the soldiers, we would like them to institute some training in civilian law enforcement so that when he goes on the streets, with his gun and his bayonet, he also has an understanding and an appreciation of the fundamental rights of the citizens and he will know how to treat ordinary Jamaicans. That is what we say," he added.
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