How 'Dudus'lost Tivoli

The shattering and deadly assault on terrorist elements in Tivoli Gardens, which has dislodged one of Jamaica's most nefarious criminal networks, are years overdue. But better under a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration.

For years the People's National Party (PNP) was intimidated to confront the Tivoli threat for justifiable fear that it would be construed as political malice and victimisation. There were aggressive and loud-mouthed politicians who would defend Tivoli's 'honour',

always shutting down any rational assessment of that republic's status with emotional invectives of the history of aggression against that state.

And the fact is, as has been well-attested by Obika Gray's 'Demeaned But Empowered: The Social Power of the Urban Poor in Jamaica' and Amanda Sives' 'Elections, Violence and democratic process in Jamaica: 1944-2007', Tivoli has, indeed, faced violent attacks from surrounding PNP forces. Had Tivoli been 'soft', the JLP dominance in West Kingston would have been long extinguished.

The July 2001 operation by the security forces, which claimed 27 lives, had such an emotional impact on the nation that it guaranteed that Tivoli would be sacrosanct for years to come. The PNP dared not attempt any such incursion into sacred territory. Subsequently, any discussion about the fact that Tivoli housed dangerous criminal elements was dismissed vehemently as "demonisation of Tivoli Gardens"; "the prejudice and malice against the good people of Tivoli" and "PNP propaganda". But now we know!

deep links

We now know that it is not PNP propaganda and demonisation of the good name of Tivoli that its criminal forces have deep links with gangs and terrorists across a number of communities, and that with direction from central command it can unleash terror across a number of areas. I don't think we have seen their full force: very likely central command called in some outlying troops to defend the president and his territory.

Such is the command of vast resources from narco trafficking, extortion and local contract that the criminals could reportedly even enlist "money ova party" PNP gunmen in their war against the Jamaican state. We have for too long been in denial about Tivoli Gardens.

The sight of bodies being buried, the high death toll and charges of genocide have swung the emotional pendulum away from the state and have led to angry voices charging prejudice against Tivoli Gardens. But I remind them that it was these cold-bloodied and heartless criminals who sacrificed the lives of so many in Tivoli Gardens last week; it was they who endangered the lives of innocent, defenceless children and babies; frightened and terrified old women and old men and who exposed their women to the kind of pounding the military had to engage in to liberate Tivoli from the criminal underworld.

Charges of excesses should be investigated thoroughly and punished. Abuses of human rights cannot be tolerated in a just society - even one at war with terrorists. But some of those who were supposedly calling from Tivoli Gardens cursing the security forces, their member of Parliament and everyone else but the terrorists who had held them captive and exposed them to fatalities had simply fallen victim to the Stockholm Syndrome: Falling in love with their captors and seeing them, in their delusion, as benevolent and caring. We must beware emotional manipulation.

When barricades were set up, some were still fooling themselves that they were erected by innocent, frightened citizens scared about July 2001 and knowing how the rest of us - particularly the security forces - "hate Tivoli". But others, not sharing the collective delusion, knew that the criminal underworld was a sending message: We dare you to come into our territory! The tactic had worked flawlessly in the past, aided by sections of the naive media and civil society who don't understand the runnings in inner-city Jamaica. But this time it was different. This time the criminal overlords were to encounter a perfect storm.

They foolishly and tactlessly pushed their luck too far this time, not understanding how the ground had shifted under their feet. By attacking four police stations on Sunday and torching to the ground the one in Hannah Town; by killing two policemen and injuring others while brazenly displaying their firepower, they unwittingly galvanised and coalesced elements traditionally at conflict with one another.

On that day Jamaicans for Justice, Families Against State Terrorism and long-time tough policing advocates were lovingly in the same bed! Earlier the Jamaican Bar Association, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the wide-ranging Council of the Presidents of private sector organisations combined to a crescendo call on the state to take control.

Shortly after elements in Tivoli had demonstrated their now-customary contempt for law and order with their erection of barricades, people were asking, why is the police kowtowing to these lawless elements. But there seemed to be strategy: Knowing the emotional fallout from 1997 and 2001, as well as the strong anti-security forces sentiments in the media and general society, the security forces allowed the society itself to become outraged.

brazen disregard

By allowing this brazen disregard for Jamaica's law, with regular television and newspaper images of the barricades wearing on Jamaicans' patience; by forcing people to be calling on the police to "do something" to "take action" and to "show who is in charge", the strategy had worked brilliantly: It was plain psychological warfare and the brainless criminals had been outfoxed.

Even before they lost their strategic nerve by attacking the police stations and killing the lawmen - not knowing when to shrink back from force to show psychological force - their barricades had built a barrier to ward off any sympathy from Jamaicans.

Human rights activists, powerful media voices normally with an anti-security forces bias, influential civil society groups and the Opposition PNP were all united against the terrorists. Their emboldenment through our wrangling over issues of human rights could not at that point be exploited for emotional advantage. We were all repulsed and revolted by them and everyone, including human rights activists, was talking about "an attack on then state" and the need for the state to act decisively and firmly.

I have the highest commendation for the Observer and my own paper, the Gleaner, whose unequivocal and trenchant editorial positions for firm state action against the terrorists could only encourage the security forces. The Observer's page one editorials on Monday and Tuesday were particularly poignant.

united stand

In its editorial the day after the daring attacks on the police stations ('A Vile Attack on the State') the Observer referred to "these riff-raffs" against whom we need to make a "united stand" against their terrorism. In its editorial the next day it inveighed: "For no decent country can allow the rule of the rabble." It was not the decent people of Tivoli - the vast majority - who were so being described, so forget the usual canards used to hijack the discussion.

The Gleaner in its editorial on Wednesday ('Good Work, So Far') says: "Whatever the final tally from the fighting, this battle had to be engaged. And it must end in a clear victory for the state. There must be no ambiguity about the inviolability of the Jamaican state." It went on: "The likes of Christopher Coke, the alleged drug kingpin, must be clear about this. Never again must any 'don' be allowed such purchase in any area, that, like Mr Coke, they can with support of residents and gunmen and human shields barricade themselves in a community to engage law enforcement officers in pitched battle."

Opposition spokesman on security Peter Bunting has given some choice quotes on this issue and has impressed me considerably with his forthrightness and even-handedness. You would have thought this operation was carried out by his government and with him as security minister. Bunting has been very responsible in this crisis. His defence of the security forces and their actions (up to time of this writing) was even more potent than some Government spokespersons.

Opposition leader Portia Simpson Miller also has shown good leadership in this crisis and has demonstrated her stateliness and patriotism. A true leader in this time of national crisis, not seeking to exploit emotions to gain cheap political support.

Some in media have abandoned the normal canon of scepticism and incredulity, sopping up every wailing phone call from Tivoli without asking serious questions. Betty Ann Blaine and Carol Narcisse have shone brilliantly with their hard-hitting questions to callers and with comments. Narcisse educated many listeners about the character of garrison communities which could result in some of the calls which inundated television and radio. Political Ombudsman Herro Blair showed that some of the claims of those supposedly calling from Tivoli (burning bodies, bombs being dropped, were not true up to his first visit.)

Our journalists must be far less gullible and more searching, even when handling emotional calls. In war, innocents always suffer, some die and all are inconvenienced. This is why war is always regrettable. As Carol Narcisse said, to hear some residents you would think they feel they should be on the road, having their Passa Passa and putting out clothes on the lines just the same as before the invasion. It's absurd. It's war. And it was brought on by an indescribably selfish and heartless 'strongman' who was willing to sacrifice any number of lives for his.

Dudus could not overcome the combined power of the United States, a global crisis which weakened his party's Government; powerful and irreverent local and international press; a strong civil society and a vigilant and forceful Opposition. He (Dudus) calculated he would be safe in his garrison. But he miscalculated badly. Don't threaten Jamaicans' visas - that's one thing which unites uptown and downtown; business moguls and handcart man. It's not the Cold War era when Jamaica had strategic significance and could negotiate with the United States, citing security considerations (as we are witnessing) for not handing over Dudus.

Jamaica has no strategic significance or clout with the US. That is why the JLP desperately sought lobbying assistance from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. In Afghanistan Ahmed Wali Karzi, brother of the president, is connected to drug traffickers and yet he is on the Central Intelligence Agency's payroll because Afghanistan has geopolitical significance. Jamaica has none.

Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist. Feedback may be sent to ianboyne1@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com