Arrest and charge!
Dear Editor,
I am still awaiting news that the police have called in Floyd Green for a interview, as others who have breached the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) were summoned by the police in short order.
Will I be keeping a weekly then monthly vigil, or will I be waiting in vain like Bob Marley?
I cannot forget how quickly the gentleman from Jones Town, who was seen in a video cursing at Prime Minister Andrew Holness, was retrieved from under his bed by the police. A senior policeman was on the scene, dressed in full regalia, talking about law and order.
Beenie Man is the self-proclaimed king of the dancehall but when the police sent for him he had to ‘fling weh’ crown and robe and head down to St Elizabeth, where Floyd Green is from, to answer charges related to the breaching of the DRMA Act.
I think the police ‘ketch dem fraid’ when it comes to bringing members of the political directorate to book.
A perfect example is the beating of a woman, also caught on video, by a man who is alleged to be a sitting Member of Parliament (MP).
At first, a senior cop confirmed that the beating had occurred and did, in fact, involve the MP; however, soon after another communique from the police high command said, ‘nutten nuh go so’ and that the two individuals on said video could not be identified.
My issue here is with the Police Services Commission and its politically appointed members who make the decisions on who is promoted to the police high command to give orders to the lower ranks on, among other things, who to arrest.
A lowly constable would learn about the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) “Never, Never Land” — the place where cops who have fallen from grace are sent — if he fails to follow a directive given in sotto voce.
This Floyd Green issue reminds me of how Theodore Roosevelt came to the presidency of the United States by accident because William Hanna, GOP party boss, in an attempt to sidetrack the ambitious Roosevelt, selected him to run for vice-president on a ticket with William Mckinley and when Mckinley was assassinated Hanna was reported to have blurted out: “That damn cowboy is now president of the United States.”
I personally think Floyd Green has done his job in apologising and resigning. The next step is for him to be arrested and charged.
But will the police act fairly in this matter so that Beenie Man and others don’t feel as if they were unfairly treated and demand a refund? On the positive side, perhaps Beenie will be inspired by the ordeal to write another hit song.
I hope the well-thinking people of Jamaica, who are going to vote next in the next election, think on these things before thay cast their ballot.