Howard Hamilton reasons with Rasta at Flamingo Beach

Hamilton

Melville Cooke, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: IT MAY not have been by design, but Peter Tosh's Buckingham Palace was a fitting introduction to Public Defender Howard Hamilton's brief address at Flamingo Beach, Greenwood, Trelawny.

A small but enthusiastic gathering of mainly Rastafarians were on the site of the proposed Bob Marley School for the Arts Institute on Sunday evening to hear the Queen's Counsel outline his campaign for their faith to be officially recognised as a religion.

Against the backdrop of the setting sun and motor vehicles whizzing past on the highway, Mr. Hamilton was direct.

"I have received a lot of criticism for coming out very early in my appointment to take up the Rastafarian cause. I believe the role of the Public Defender is to fight injustice... I deliberately chose the most visible sector of Jamaican society that has been victimised from day one and is still being victimised today," he said.

He was unstinting in his praise for Rastafarians.

"I am a Christian, but I see more Christian qualities in Rastafarians than I see in persons practising my own religion. The Rasta seems to have achieved an inner peace that many religions seek but do not seem to find."

The word 'religion' raised the hackles in some quarters. An elder Rastafarian, Ras Iyah, declared that "Rastafari is liberators, not religion." He recounted the brutality of "church and state" with a brief history lesson on Jamaica, including beatings he had endured.

Bobo Arthur, the representative of the Boboshanti, summed up the militant mood of some of the brethren present when he sounded the Abeng and said: "It is time to blow the Abeng! No tricks, no treaties, no compromise!"

Mr. Hamilton meantime extolled the Rasta as a disciplined, dignified man who loved his children and was protective of his women. "These are the qualities that Jamaica needs and I am looking towards Rastafarians to restore these values in the country.

"Your colours are recognised all over the world. Your words are used all over the world and people are copying your hairstyle. When you bring great glory to the island the Rastafarian is hailed, but when the society is ready they are ostracised and criticised," he said.

Mr. Hamilton said while he could not personally represent the movement in court, he assured his listeners that he would make the best lawyers available to them.

"You have walked the walk. You have paid your dues. The time has come. And once that has been achieved, the doors are open."

Marijuana

Discussions about Rastafarian-ism almost invariably turn to ganja, and Sunday was no exception. Mr. Hamilton said some people believe that his agenda is really to legalise ganja. He pointed to the period of (alcohol) Prohibition in the US from 1920 to 1933, noting that alcoholic beverages were illegal in the US during this time, the Roman Catholic Church was given permission to use wine as a religious sacrament.

Beyond the ganja the discussion got heated in the brief question and answer section.

"Friday gone police jus run dung pon me an tek a likkle spliff tail, not even big like dis one ya!" an irate Rastafarian said, displaying the item of comparison. "An dem carry me go a station an lock me dung unda $5,000 bond!"

Rev. Leroy James Campbell, a dreadlocked member of the audience, also gave personal testimony to the healing properties of ganja.

"A time is coming; things are changing," Mr. Hamilton said. "In England, where we get our law from, if a man is brought before the courts for ganja and can prove that he is a genuine Rastafarian they don't bother him. In New Mexico a sheriff is now saying that he is going to stop burning it, because he has seen its medical value on the hospital wards."

He ended his presentation with a request for the Rastafarians to spread the word in their various communities about the Public Defender and the role he plays.

Organised by Astor Black, chairman of the Bob Marley School for the Arts Institute, the reasoning segued into a musical session with the Jah Creation sound system.

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