INDECOM – motion and friction

THE EDITOR, Sir:

IN LIGHT of the recent ruling by the Court of Appeal, Parliament will now have to determine what further powers, if any, should be given t o INDECOM. The ruling comes amid the friction that clearly exists between the police in per forming its duties and INDECOM i n per forming its oversight functions.

Similar friction has existed between public-sector officials, including even ministers of government and the contractor general, another oversight body. In many instances, friction arises not because of a clash of authority, but because of the lack of respect that is shown to authority and the lack of respectfulness with which authority is exercised.

Many years ago, I was pulled over for speeding by a state trooper while driving on the I-95 in Florida. When I handed him my driver ’s licence and he discovered that I was from Jamaica, he proceeded to tell me about his holiday in Ocho Rios some years before and how he and his family had a great time, especially scuba-diving and climbing Dunn’s River Falls.

Just as I started to feel that he was going to warn me about speeding and let me go, he pulled out a book from his pocket and started writing, still carrying on in almost animated fashion about the wonder ful time he had in Jamaica and his love for jerk pork. I encouraged him to come back for another visit.

AMICABLE PARTING

When he gave me the ticket, I handed him my card and suggested that he give me a call if ever he visited Jamaica again. We shook hands and I almost found pleasure in paying the hefty fine of US$160 before returning home.

Some years later, out of the blue, he called to say he was back in Jamaica and staying at a hotel in Ocho Rios. I had not asked him his name, so he had to remind me of the occasion in Florida before I could recognise who he was. I drove over to Ocho Rios, met his family, and we had lunch together.

My initial encounter with this state trooper reminded me of the reason why bearings were invented – to facilitate motion without friction.

BRUCE GOLDING Former Prime Minister