Editorial - Military must retain public confidence in Keith Clarke case

The family and friends of businessman Keith Clarke are seemingly relieved that three persons have been finally charged for his death. The ruling, coming two years after Mr Clarke was cut down in his Kirkland Heights home during a joint security-force operation to capture then fugitive Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, has expectedly ignited fierce public debate.

Viewed from the perspective of citizens of west Kingston and other communities that have experienced security-force traumas over the years, there needs to be equitable dispensation of justice. People are often killed by the police in inner-city communities, with few consequences. More than 70 civilians died in Tivoli Gardens during the security operations of May 2010. For them, the police and army left many tombstones and scarred lives in their trail. But many residents don't believe they will ever get justice. Indeed, persons in Tivoli Gardens are justified in asking, "What about us?"

Members of the public cite the arrest of the soldiers as proof that no one is above the law. But on closer examination, we find that these are three lowly ranked soldiers. Based on the ruling of the director of public prosecutions, Jamaicans may conclude that the three soldiers went rogue in the early hours of May 27, 2010 and fired on Mr Clarke, killing him.

questionable accountability

Keith Clarke's suburban house was riddled with bullets. Nowhere was the impression given that this was a firefight between security forces and gunmen. It was one man, albeit the owner of a licensed firearm, against many. So who was in charge of this operation? Should the person in command escape responsibility for the outcome of the mission? Does this ruling really stand up to the accountability test?

And has the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) learnt anything from this botched operation in May 2010? Were the men cited in departmental enquiries? The least the public should expect is a review and update of the protocols governing operations that involve the use of deadly force.

Said Brigadier Rocky Meade earlier this week: "All our soldiers are professional in what they do and we also know that if persons deviate from any procedures that we have, then there are consequences."

If only believing such declarations were that easy.

The JDF has come under harsh, and justified, criticism for its handling of the incursion into Tivoli Gardens to seize Coke and repel the militants he had gathered to protect his fiefdom. Opinion surveys have consistently shown that the army has had the highest levels of public confidence, above parliamentarians and the police.

But the lack of forthrightness by Brigadier Meade about non-sensitive aspects of the raid, particularly on the matter of a United States surveillance plane and the use of mortars in the operation, has eroded that trust.

The army should ensure that it provides all the necessary assistance in the case so that justice is served. Any attempt to blur the truth will imperil public confidence, something Jamaica can ill-afford when so many of its state institutions are perceived to be corrupt.

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