Up the ante
We find the report in yesterday’s edition about seizure of a CCTV system in Tivoli Gardens most instructive, if only because it illustrates for the umpteenth time how people who are serious about their jobs operate.
According to the report, the system which was found in the vicinity of the office of Mr Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the former Tivoli Gardens don, is now being checked by the police to find out where the footage was saved.
We wish them well in that endeavour, but more importantly, we hope that this latest discovery will underscore the need for the ante to be upped in the search for Mr Coke and his cronies.
It is not, as one school of thought seems to be suggesting, good enough for the State to simply move on with the task of rebuilding the various institutions that were destroyed a few weeks ago when Prime Minister Bruce Golding broadcast the go-ahead for Mr Coke’s arrest.
For these institutions will remain prone to the very same type of takeovers that led to their destruction in the first place.
What we need to do is analyse the trajectory that has taken us over the decades to this point and, in the words of a famous politician, ‘change course’.
This is going to require the proper exercise of the State’s discretion on all fronts as well as some creative thinking to utilise all available measures to catch up with Mr Coke and his cronies.
But based on what we have seen so far, we can’t help but wonder if the will to achieve results is as strong as it ought to be.
And while we don’t expect the police to broadcast their every move or pre-empt themselves, it would be comforting to know, at the very least, that questions are being asked of those who we know have access to and are in touch with Mr Coke.
There’s no need to call any names at this point, because we have seen enough over the past nine months to tell us that Mr Coke’s affiliations are impressive in their span.
There are people of eminence in this society who have information that can lead to his arrest in a heartbeat, if the police have the courage and independence to ask and investigate.
To them, the US$20,000 bounty on Mr Coke means little.
Indeed, it might not be too much of a stretch to suppose that such people have made twice, maybe triple, that amount off Mr Coke already.
Such people have no interest in Jamaica beyond what they can milk it for, and it makes no sense to court their co-operation with foolishness.
They must be given more compelling reasons to co-operate.
Jamaica claims to be full of bright people who want to see the country rise.
It’s time for us to engage them.