Heather Robinson
WHENEVER A politician or other public speaker delivers a major address, the speaker hopes that there will be at least one point that will be remembered by those who took the time to listen. During the last three weeks of the presidential campaign of the People's National Party (PNP), much will be said, and much has been said before this. On January 15, Dr Peter Phillips had the official launch of his campaign at the National Arena. Dr Phillips made several points during his presentation, but here is what I found to be the most cherished memory.
Training of our police officers will be increased from nine months to three years. This undertaking Dr Phillips made was welcomed by many Jamaicans who agreed with his arguments that there was no other professional who was trained for only nine months, including teachers, nurses and doctors. This increase in the time spent training our police officers can only serve to improve their capacity to perform their functions in a more professional and disciplined manner. By quadrupling the time spent on training, one hopes that those persons who join the Jamaica Constabulary Force with the intent of providing legitimacy for their illegal activities, would become frustrated and fail to complete the requisite three years of training.
EMBARRASSED JCF
So many things have happened in the last couple of weeks that have embarrassed the good members of the JCF that Jamaica can only pray that soon and very soon we will be able to weed out more corrupt and incompetent police officers before they are unleashed on us.
On Tuesday night, TVJ news carried a report of two police officers trying to apprehend (or catch) a man in a housing scheme in St. Catherine. As ridiculous as the whole incident appeared, one was forced to wonder if this was a comic performance for the cameras or was it plain incompetence. As the suspect put his car in reverse and made good his escape, after he was kicked in the direction of his car, I also have to question the integrity of those who were trying to apprehend the man. Police officers must know the saying that there is a thin line between pleasure and pain. So too there is a thin line between incompetence and corruption.
Some countries have a political tradition of debates among political candidates aspiring to be elected to senior political office. Undoubtedly the United States has mastered this art, and every four years there are presidential debates. In 1992 there was some form of debate during the P.J. Patterson/Portia Simpson contest. Many Jamaicans are too young to remember this. Perhaps one of the current television stations could obtain a tape of this programme and rebroadcast it for Jamaica.
NO EXCUSE FOR ABSENT DEBATE
I cannot imagine any candidate for the presidency of the United States being able to offer any acceptable excuse to the American people for not being able to participate in a presidential debate. Perhaps if the candidate was the governor of Louisiana and the debate was scheduled two or three days after Hurricane Katrina, Americans might sympathise and accept a date the following week.
In Jamaica we tend to be a forgiving people. So while we will not accept an excuse from one person, we will accept it from another. As we approach Saturday, February 25, and seek to determine who is the best person to become the PNP's fourth president, let us use the same yardstick to judge each candidate. And when someone chooses to be a late non-starter for a debate, let us insist that we see a rebroadcast of the 1992 debate/discussion. Any child who has participated in the National Schools' Debating Competition will tell you that it requires proper training and the capacity to think on one's feet.
Heather Robinson is a life underwriter and former Member of Parliament.
