'No trust for PM'
Published:Monday | July 26, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding's words have been thrown back at him by the People's National Party (PNP), which has yet again declared he cannot be trusted.
PNP President Portia Simpson Miller yesterday labelled Golding the "flip-flopper-in-chief", and blasted him for the position he has adopted on the need for a state of emergency.
Using a letter to the editor, written by Golding and published in The Gleaner on October 9, 2003, as the springboard for her attack, Simpson Miller said the prime minister has conveniently changed his stance.
Said Golding in his 2003 letter: "The poor who live in our inner cities, most of whom are no less law-abiding than Mr Thomas or Professor Robotham, have no such assurance and no such privilege. Every so often, the police detain scores of people who are first locked up then 'processed' and later released. Why?"
Kingsley Thomas (who, in 2003, was the chairman of the National Housing Trust) and Don Robotham were, at the time, calling for the imposition of a state of emergency in the wake of rising violent crime.
'No need for trial'
"... The police have no evidence on which to charge them. Under the Thomas-Robotham plan, the police would simply detain and lock up. No need for any 'pro-cessing'! No need for any evidence! No need for any trial!
"The gates are flung wide open for corrupt policemen to 'deal with' individuals with whom they have a dispute, and for a corrupt govern-ment to 'deal with' its political opponents with whom it always has a dispute," Golding's letter said.
Yesterday, Simpson Miller told members of her party's National Executive Council that Golding's habit of changing his stance makes it difficult for him to be trusted.
"Should we expect to hear 'It wasn't me?' We have become accustomed to the flip-flopper-in-chief saying one thing yesterday, and another thing today," Simpson Miller said.
"We firmly believe that it is more likely that the country will achieve success in the fight against crime if there is consensus between Government and the Opposition on the strategy to be pursued. That consensus requires consultation, respect and trust," she added.
Last night, representatives of the Jamaica Labour Party were not able to give an immediate response.
The PNP has been seeking to go on the offensive ever since public sentiment moved against it for refusing to support a resolution in Parliament for the extension to the state of emergency, which had been in place since May 23. As a result of the Opposition's refusal to support an extension, the state of emergency ended on Thursday and led the police to announce it had been forced to implement new plans.
Private-sector leaders said the measure was productive and chided the PNP for not supporting its extension.
On the weekend, Dwight Nelson, minister of national security, said the Government would not rule out the imposition of a second state of emergency in light of an uptick in murder figures.
However, Peter Bunting, opposition spokesman on national security and general secretary of the PNP, argued there was no correlation between the reduction of murders and the state of emergency.
"The primary reason for the reduction in crime has been the operation against the criminal organisation headquartered in Tivoli Gardens and subsequent apprehension and extradition of its alleged leader," Bunting said.
That alleged leader is Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is believed to run the Shower Posse and is now facing drug and weapons-smuggling charges in the United States.
"The disruption of the ability of the Shower Posse to inflict violence on the society and to direct their franchise operations, such as Stone Crusher in St James; it is that disruption, together with the intensity of cordon, curfew and search operations by the security forces that has resulted in the reduction in crime," Bunting said.