How can we defend ourselves?
published: Monday | March 13, 2006

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I HAVE observed as the Government of Jamaica bemoans the condemnation directed towards this country by the United States in its State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices. For two consecutive years the United State has, through its reports, scolded Jamaica on its Human Rights record. For two consecutive years, Jamaican politicians and diplomats have scrambled to defend its record on human rights. The powers that be argue that we do not have significant problems with human trafficking, vigilante killings by the police, or an overburdened judicial system.

GOVERNMENT FAILURE

I leave the decision on the veracity of those claims to the readers of this publication; however, for more pressing reasons I believe that we have no defence to the reprimands directed towards this government by the U.S. State Department. The human rights of ordinary Jamaicans have been significantly stifled not necessarily due to poor prison conditions or human trafficking but by the failure of this government to protect the safety of its citizenry.

How can a government reasonably defend its record on human rights when its citizens are killed in churches? How can the Government rightfully cry foul at this scathing report when our children are murdered as they walk home from school and sleep at night? How can this government defend its record of human rights when some normal activity is disrupted when "dons" face justice? How can they complain when the majority of the citizenry live in fear? These things, Mr. Editor, underscore the true collapse of human rights in this country; and the ordinary Jamaican certainly does not need a report to give the Government failing marks on these issues.

I am, etc.,

DIN DUGGAN

dkduggan@hotmail.com

Atlanta, GA

Via Go-Jamaica