Jamaicans want truth commission established

Jamaicans are showing interest in having a truth commission established in the island to deal with past human-rights violations.

A survey conducted by the Truth and Justice Action Group, organised by the Jamaica Council of Churches, indicated that 65 per cent of the 20 experts and eight focus groups across the island that participated in the activity are supporting the call for the commission.

The study, which was undertaken over a four-month period, suggested that citizens desire to know the truth of political corruption, garrisons, crime and violence and general political and economic underdevelopment.

The results of the study were revealed during a public dialogue on Democracy, Governance and the Prospects for Truth-Telling Mechanisms in Jamaica at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, yesterday.

The study indicates that more than 40 per cent of the respondents argued that a truth commission would have a positive effect by strengthening democracy, increasing accountability in leadership and setting the record straight about certain questionable occurrences within Jamaica's development.

viable option

Dr Jermaine McCalpin, lecturer in Transitional Justice and Political Institutions at UWI, said the expectation of the study is to view persons' understanding of truth commissions and to see if they are a viable option for Jamaica.

He argued that while the finding suggests that truth-telling mechanisms - especially truth commissions - are desired, the mechanism itself is not well understood.

"I think we have a high level of interest, we need now to publicly educate people about what truth commissions do. This initial study addresses that and we have to do some more to sensitise the Jamaican public to the need for truth telling not just for truth telling sake but to lead to justice," McCalpin said.