It is time to investigate those commanded murder in west Kingston.
With the 2010 State of Emergency to dismantle the Shower Posse resulting in the murder of over 74 people, four thousand detained for no good reason, and a new military garrison established in Tivoli, it is shocking to see that the best that the National Democratic Movement (NDM) can come up with is to call for another state of emergency. This call(in response to gruesome murders in Spanish Town) betrays a complete lack of ideas about solving social problems that is also typical of both the PNP and the JLP.
Campaign for Social and Economic Justice is instead demanding that those who had command responsibility for the West Kingston operations, starting with the prime minister, the police commissioner, and the head of the JDF, be investigated for crimes against humanity, or criminal negligence, at least, according to Jamaican law.
Is there any part of the state machinery that has the power to carry out such an investigation? We believe that under the Public Defender Act (similar to the Contractor General Act) the Public Defender does have the power carry out such an investigation.
We demand to know why the Public Defender has so far failed to use his powers to investigate those who had command responsibility. Such an investigation should run parallel to any other forensic investigation which he might be carrying out, and complementary to any hoped-for Commission of Enquriy.
To refuse to act decisively is another glaring example of how the state protects itself and perpetuates the circle of impunity for state crimes against the people.
Lloyd D’Aguilar
Campaign for Social and Economic Justice
