EDITORIAL - Samuda the sleuth: why we are uneasy

Edna Manley occupies a special place in the realm of Jamaican art. Not only was she an outstanding sculptor who produced several masterpieces, but was an intellectual force behind, inspiration to, and patron of the art movement that paralleled the political upheavals of the 1930s and held so much promise for Jamaica. In that regard, her works are national treasures.

This newspaper, therefore, shares the relief of the culture minister, Ms Olivia Grange, and, we believe, the majority of Jamaicans at the recovery of the Edna Manley bronze, 'The Trees Are Joyful', that had been stolen last week from Unity House in Runaway Bay, St Ann.

But in the midst of the celebration, we can't shake a sense of unease, disquiet even, over the manner in which the sculpture was apparently traced and eventually returned.

The critical player, it seems, was not the police but the minister with responsibility for investment and commerce, Mr Karl Samuda, who has a reputation for understanding the rough and tumble of Jamaican politics.

sleuth-in-chief

It is not clear how Mr Samuda came to be recruited as sleuth-in-chief, but he appears to have had an inkling that the work was heading for the scrap-metal trade that his ministry oversees.

So, according to the Government's Jamaica Information Service, Mr Samuda spoke to the leaders of the industry "impressing on them the importance of the work".

Here is Mr Samuda in his own words: "I used every ounce and influence I had among the leadership of the industry and I said to them, 'I want the statue back ... . I want you to, from one end of the island to the next, (be) in search of it from among your membership and from those renegade dealers'.

"To my surprise, by the end of the day it was returned to this ministry."

Good work, Mr Samuda!

Is it?

Which brings us to our unease.

The mode of the recovery of the work appears to mirror what happens in the so-called garrison communities, the zones of political exclusions, where the enabling behaviour of the gangs of Gordon House, the political parties, have contributed to the near collapse of state security. Real power has been ceded to so-called community leaders or 'dons', who support either of the parties.

Often, in these communities, infractions are not reported to the police, but to the don, who sends out the word for a bit of property to be returned and/or administers rough justice.

it's not over yet

We do not claim that Mr Samuda's engagement of the leadership of the scrap-metal industry makes him a don or is same as what happens in 'garrisons', sometimes in Mr Samuda's own parliamentary constituency. The minister, we believe, will, however, have sympathy with those persons who may discern some parallels between his own sleuthing and the approach of the dons.

In the current circumstance, and given Mr Samuda's support for the law and the preservation of the system of justice, we do not believe the matter is at an end.

We, therefore, look forward to the minister's next step: informing the police who returned the sculpture, from whom it was recovered and the circumstances by which it came into that person's possession.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.