Importance of the conduct of public inquiries

1. The Editor
Dear Editor,
It isveryimportantthat inthis relativelyyoungcountrythe integrityof ourinstitutionsbe preserved
and strengthened.Integrity,however,canneverbe preserved inJamaicaif ourfledglinginstitutions
are notheldup to close scrutiny/investigation andpubliclymade accountable fortheiractions.I
know,forinstance,thatmanyregard publicinstitutionsassome sortof sacred cow,and that
criticismof these institutions,especiallybyservingorformermembers, isperceived asanact of
disloyalty.Iholdnosuchapprehension,andmaintainthatthose whocondone orwishtocoverup
some misgivingsare infactbeingdisloyaltosuchinstitutionsbecause,ultimately, the veryfibreof
the institutionstheymistakenlyseektoprotectwill be weakened due tothe lossof integrity.
Integrity comesfromthe Latinword Integra,meaningtobe whole orunbroken.Aninstitutionthat
losesitsintegritylosesitswholesomenessandbecomes ill disciplined andconsequentlyineffective.
So,as we setaboutselectingcommissionersforthe longoverdue enquiryinto the 2010 Tivoli
securityforces’incursion, inwhich 73 Jamaicans were killed,letussetoutto uncoverthe truthof
whattook place duringthatoperation. Undoubtedly, oursecurityforceswill come underveryclose
scrutiny,andrightlyso.Our leadersshouldnotbe fearful of that;itwill notdestroythe JDFor JCF; if
anything,itwill strengthentheminthe longterm.
I wouldbe surprisedanddisappointedif the JDForthe JCF resistedanyeffortsof the inquiry to
uncoverthe truth of all aspectsof the operation.Theirleaderswouldbe doingadisservice tothe
integrityof theirinstitutions,andbyextensiontoJamaica.Anyattempt,therefore,ontheirpart to
withhold the factsunderthe usual andabusedshieldof national securityshouldbe viewedasanact
of disloyalty,andoutrage shouldbe metedouttothose whoevenattemptit.
In itsefforttoget at the truth, the enquiryshouldnotsetoutto be adversarial,butratherto be
inquisitorial. Asmuchaswe all enjoyedthe brillianceof the lawyersinthe Mannattinquiry, we
cannot have a repeatperformance of twosidespittedagainsteachother. The Tivoli enquiry should
not be a legal contest,andhopefully the commissionerswill be meticulousintheireffortssothatat
the end, we can learnfrom the mistakesthatmayhave beenmade andintroduce measuresto
preventarecurrence.Iwouldbe verysurprisedif the JDF,for instance,hasnot alreadydone itsown
investigationordebriefinginrelationtothisoperation.If not,how wouldtheircommandersknow
whatwentright or wrong at everylevel?
If we trulylove andvalue the future of ourcountry, we must demandfull disclosure.We should
dismissany scenarioinwhichthe truthiscamouflagedbythe persistentassertionthat “forsecurity
reasonsinformationcannotbe provided.”We know that’s a lotof rubbish,andonce again,such an
assertion shouldbe treatedasnothinglessthananexpressionof disloyaltythatisnotinJamaica’s
securityinterests.Thisinquiry,therefore,shouldnotputindividualsontrial,butunequivocally and
transparentlyseekthe truth.Here isa wonderfulopportunity toinstil the public’s confidence in
inquiriesof thisnature byconductingitwithintegrityandobjectivity, andnotmerelyfollow the
usual patternof two tribeswagingwaragainsteach other inan attemptto score political points,
while the majorityof disenchantedJamaicanslooksonindisgust!

2. Let usshowthe worldthatthe spiritof Boltand Tessanne livesoninourcountry,that we are not
afraidof the truth,and that we are buildingasolidfuture for Jamaicabypreservingthe integrityof
our securityforcesandall otherpublicinstitutions.
Yours faithfully,
Colonel AllanDouglas