THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE FARQUHARSON Institute of Public Affairs is alarmed at statements made by the head of the Jamaica Defence Force about the police/military action in Western Kingston.
These remarks include a threat to inflict a military assault on a civilian community, if in his opinion, persons living there are endangering his men or their equipment. This outrageous outburst is not only intemperate and unbecoming but serves to undermine and alienate whatever support the JDF has and whatever respect is left to it.
Having, without any credible evidence, passed his personal judgement on Tivoli Gardens as an outlaw community, the Chief of Staff has stated that he is prepared to unleash some secret weapon of reprisal on civilians he might suspect of firing at army helicopters. In this instance, he has arrogated unto himself the roles of the police, the judiciary and the executioner, which indicates that he does not recognise the limits of his authority under the laws of Jamaica.
The public must be made aware that the military have no police powers and no right to inflict its own chosen form of punishment on civilians or communities regarded by its leader as harbouring law-breakers. The proper procedure is for the Chief of Staff to provide the police with evidence and then to let the law take its course. In this regard, it cannot be ignored that the several police/military forays into Tivoli Gardens have uncovered none of the criminal paraphernalia described by the Chief of Staff.
NO RESPONSE FROM PM
The Institute is surprised that up to now the Prime Minister who is responsible for the military, has failed to repudiate these offensive utterances; and we believe that a call for parliamentary intervention is now warranted and should already have been made by the Opposition. This entire exercise appears to justify the Institute's proposal that crime fighting and the justice system be removed from the hands of politicians and repaired with outside assistance.
Jamaica is not at war, nor under a state of emergency; and this war-like statement by the Chief of Staff, suggesting that the army can attack civilians and punish suspects who have not been tried and found guilty, could lead us to believe that democracy is about to give way to military rule.
We are, etc.,
FARQUHARSON INSTITUTE of PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Frank Phipps, Chairman
Ken Jones, General Secretary
