INDECOM salutes Oliver Clarke

THE EDITOR, Madam:

PLEASE ACCEPT my sincere condolences on the passing of your former chairman, Oliver Clarke. Although I am sure many can speak of longer and more extensive interactions with Oliver, I, at least, share the highest appreciation and admiration for his contribution to Jamaica.

Oliver Clarke’s service has been in many areas. This letter briefly recalls one of them. When INDECOM started in 2010, I met Oliver as one of the public figures giving of their time, judgment, and energy to the campaign for police accountability and reform. As I recall, he was either a member of the Police Service Commission or board of the Police Civilian Oversight Authority. He clearly recognised that police impunity was, and remains, the troubling human-rights issue of Jamaica, impatient for improvement.

For many, human rights is a nebulous concept only of importance when their rights are imperilled. I admired Oliver for his keen interest in reforming the police although he would be unlikely to himself suffer at the hands of police misconduct. In this endeavour, he was forthright and relentlessly spoke truth.

I appreciate Oliver’s support for the work of INDECOM and his encouragement to me. He did not need to reach out, but he did. It meant a lot as the work is often a lonely one.

On behalf of the INDECOM family, I join the Clarke family and the Gleaner family in thanksgiving for the life of Oliver Clarke.

TERRENCE F. WILLIAMS

Commissioner of INDECOM