JLP senators don't get it
Published:Tuesday | July 6, 2010 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE JAMAICA Labour Party senators still do not get it. Their defence of last Friday's motion of no confidence was to ascribe malice to the opposition senators. The Opposition was putting forward a position many Jamaicans have held about the capabilities and conduct of the minister of justice, especially in the Christopher 'Dudus' Coke extradition case.
The venom and hysteria from Senators Bennett and Meadows made me cringe with embarrassment. I must question the prime minister's decision to pick these two to sit in the Senate, a place where good debate and clarity of issues should be paramount. With the exception of the numerous squeals of malice and 'bad mind'directed at the Opposition, I could make neither head nor tail of their arguments.
Hypocritical world of diplomacy
Senator Malahoo Forte tried her best, but fell short when she attempted to explain that in her travels she had received so much support from leaders and other persons. Perhaps with the newness of the post, the senator has not yet grasped the sometimes hypocritical world of diplomacy. A better test would be to hear the views of ordinary Jamaicans and members of the diaspora who are not happy with the state of affairs.
Senator Lightbourne tried valiantly to defend herself but also fell short. She should have taken a leaf from Mr Golding's book and be gracious. She, too, carried the malice line which, in my view, made them look petty and incapable of debate. The legal arguments she posited were weak at best. What shocked me was that she maintained that her actions were completely legal and appropriate and in defence of Mr Coke's rights. Then she played right into the Opposition's hands. The basis of her defence was destroyed with a simple question: "Why did you sign the motion for the extradition, then?"
Senator Lightbourne, Jamaicans are not fools. Explaining that you signed the order to prevent further instability in Jamaica is not good enough. The law is the law and if you were right that Mr Coke's rights were being trampled on, you should have continued to defend him, no matter what. You failed the people of Jamaica, and you failed the justice system.
I am, etc.,
OLIVER J. STEWART