The hot topics in political paradise are the official report of the three-year-old investigation of Andrew Holness by the Integrity Commission (IC) and PNP’s stamp of approval granted to Vybz Kartel as a political influencer.
Politically speaking, IC’s report on Holness couldn’t have come at a worse time for him. Although the report tries manfully (and womanfully) to justify its interminable delay with long windedness, innuendo and bombast, the bottom line is IC has been unable to publish any conclusive adverse finding. Despite this damning admission, IC, deliberately or inadvertently, has successfully promoted continuing hype with a request for more investigation by Financial Investigations Division (FID)/Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ).
TAJ does not investigate statutory declarations to IC. It investigates, where it considers necessary, tax returns filed with it. These are two separate institutions with two very separate purposes that base their actions on two separate and very different bits of statutorily required documentation.
FID is a division of the Finance Ministry that has been designated by the minister as an “authorized financial investigator” for the purposes of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). Essentially, it collects, analyzes and interprets information on “financial crimes”; reports to the minister [Section 5(1) (b) of the Financial Investigations Division Act (FIDA)]; and investigates “any person reasonably suspected of being involved in the commission of any financial crime” if asked to do so by the Commissioner of Police, the D.P.P. “or any other public body” [section 5(1) (e); FIDA].
Non lawyers tend to misunderstand the use of words like “any other” in legislation. In a Statute “any other” does not mean “any other”. Its legal meaning is restricted to any other public body of similar nature and purpose as those listed. That high-falutin’ legal principle has a Latin name (naturally, lawyers love Latin) ejusdem generis.
So, the purpose of a referral from IC to FID is harder to find than a marble lost in a pig sty. Other than creating more suspicion than resonates in the pages of this almost 200-page monument to sound and fury signifying nothing, I just can’t fathom the relevant point. IC, whose significant mandate is to investigate and prosecute suspected acts of corruption, hasn’t been able to conclude adversely on that crucial issue. Yet it wants FID to look into the same matters fueling its futile investigation.
Why?
To what end? For FID, a body set up primarily to provide policy making assistance to government, to make a report to the minister? Or to share information collected with whom? The police? On what basis would FID or the police begin an investigation? On the basis of an IC report unable to make any direct allegation of corruption; unable to locate any direct evidence of corruption; and seems to have confused the difference between personal income tax and corporate profits tax (or the difference between a company and its shareholders)?
Really? Seriously?
In my opinion the IC report presents zero legal danger for the PM but ensures his political crucifixion. This has already begun but what isn’t being highlighted publicly is how irrelevant and immaterial to that crucifixion are the orgasmic public utterances of the Opposition. As the PM himself said “The weaponization of accusation of corruption is nothing new in politics”. What my usually impeccable sources tell me is that the real danger comes from within his own Party where some are gleefully sharpening the nails to be plunged into his palms on the Cross of political crucifixion.
The universal political rule has always been Party over country and self-ambition before Party. For make no mistake about it, EVERY politician wants to be Prime Minister. This rule trumps all others so, despite the near-at-hand lessons that ought to have been learned from Rise United’s 2019/20 experiences, those with personal ambition (and others with personal and political differences with the leader that merge with those with ambition) are oblivious to the self-destructive certainty of their desires and actions.
As always, the enemy within is far more deadly than the enemy without.
The issue of PNP’s disgraceful parading of Vybz Kartel on its annual conference stage as an approved Political Influencer, despite defensive whining from the industry, has NOTHING to do with Dancehall music. It has EVERYTHING to do with whether this is a man who should be the beneficiary of a political party’s stamp of approval regardless of his profession, occupation or vocation.
Vybz Kartel was convicted on overwhelming evidence (including eye-witness testimony) of a vicious murder. His conviction was upheld by an eminent panel of Jamaican Court of Appeal Judges that included the last two Presidents of the Court of Appeal. He was acquitted by English Judges not because of any flaw in the evidence, despite many concerted attacks on certain aspects of the evidence, but because somebody tried to bribe the jury for Kartel’s benefit and the trial Judge chose not to restart a months-long trial which would entail trying to find a new jury that, if successful, would be equally vulnerable to tampering.
On what politically ethical ground would a political party parade this man as exemplar and political leader? Maybe if he was convicted of a non-violent crime we could engage in arguments about materiality. This was simply an egregious act of political convenience exposing careless PNP thought process
Then the volume of worthless whataboutery regurgitated by pathetic PNP proxies was disgraceful and disgusting. How many wrongs do these tribal trolls suggest it takes to make public promotion of Vybz as a political leader and exemplar, after his courtroom experiences, a right?
So the silly season gets sillier and sillier. It’s clear no political activist plans to allow fact to interfere with preferred political assassination by thumb or to appear before casting salacious slurs. Before we admit that our beloved political cult is wrong, we insist on listing the other cult’s wrongs.
Brilliant!
Jamaica, we have a problem.
We are burdened with a Government determined to retain the constitutional status quo by any means necessary so it can wield absolute power over the public purse and a confused Opposition that can’t address its own issues directly. For example, apart from the Kartel fiasco, the Opposition condemns vacant constituencies’ lack of representation but refuses to contest a legally called by-election thus depriving constituents of choice.
It’s obvious beyond peradventure that neither JLP nor PNP is capable of putting country before Party. Even Hobson had a better choice than the Jamaican electorate
I wish I could afford to take the next year off and tour the world.
Peace and Love
