AT the recent funeral service in Savanna-la-Mar for the late Central Westmoreland Member of Parliament and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Roger Clarke, his parliamentary colleague and friend, Karl Samuda of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), in lauding him, declared that he was Brand Jamaica. Indeed, many notable Jamaicans at the funeral and elsewhere have extolled the virtues of that inimitable politician who was known for his infectious wit and unbridled patriotism.

Roger Clarke was a larger-than-life personality who was constantly in the public eye by way of news and political posturing. On the other hand, the late Mario Deane, who was eulogised and laid to rest on Sunday, September 21, was an ordinary young man on his way to an ordinary job on an ordinary day. Yet, after his cruel death, he has become larger than life and an extraordinary human being whose very ‘ordinariness’ has made him an exceptional Jamaican, no less in importance and impact than the “Red Poll Bull”.

Here was a young man of character who had a dream that one day he would become an architect. On that fateful day when the police party stopped him, he was on his way to a construction site where he would carry out his task which, in the scheme of things, would be seen as ordinary work. Emboldened by his ultimate goal, he saw getting hands-on experience on a construction site as a way of equipping him from a practical standpoint to fulfil his dream. It is reported that when the police officer stopped him and demanded a search, it was because he had a suspicious bulge in a trousers pocket. This protrusion turned out not to be a gun but his two cellphones. Subsequently when the “spliff tail” was found on his person, when asked by the lawman if he knew what it was, his remark was that it was just “a little weed”.

At the No 14 Barnett Street, where he was taken and charged then denied immediate bail which was his constitutional right, he allegedly remarked: “That’s why me no like police” or words to that effect. That utterance was to cost him his life. This writer is told that what he said was not pointed deliberately at the police present but was a sotto voce comment based on the fact that he did not like how his arrest and bail matter was being treated. You see, friends of Mario, I am told, had been encouraging him to become a policeman, but he had shunned the idea. Get the drift? Incidentally, it is no secret that on every construction site in this country ganja is smoked by workers so it was not unusual or “criminal” for Mario to have his “little weed” on his way to work.

Mario was no ‘bleached-face’ youth. The bag he was carrying did not contain housebreaking implements. He was a decent, focused, obedient, self-respecting youth who adored his family, and as his weeping grandmother noted, had a special regard for the elderly. Indeed, on the day that he was going to work, before he left he took her washed clothes from the line including her “undies”. He was a quiet, unassuming individual whose favourite cable television programmes were Discovery and National Geographic channels.

Mario in his own humble way represented much of what makes a good Jamaican. And that is what Brand Jamaica should be all about, if it is not to be seen as a “genuine counterfeit”. If this country can produce more Mario Deanes there would be fewer gunmen, fewer scammers, fewer youngsters “pon di corner” without a dream, no future, no direction. He could have chosen the wrong road, but instead he dared to be different, and in the process has paid the ultimate price with his life. In this context, he died not only a hero but a martyr.

My concern is that amidst all the pontifications, the personal and special interest agendas, the cynicism and finger-pointing, the true significance of his death would have been lost. No amount of recriminations can wash away the blood that was shed; no amount of money can compensate for his lost life. As I said at his funeral, part of Mario’s legacy must be a commitment by all Jamaicans to know their rights and to stand up and fight for those rights. The tragedy is that too many citizens in this country have no clue what their rights are. This, of course, is an indictment on the system of justice. It is also an indictment on our political parties, successive governments, and the people in general who for too long have taken their rights for granted. It is my unapologetic view that human rights should be treated with the same level of scrutiny and urgency as with public safety and economic growth.

It is perhaps more than significant, if not ominous, that Mario Deane died on Jamaica’s Independence Day. Interestingly, he was churched and buried on the very day when the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) had its 76th annual conference. This scenario is destined to haunt this country for a long time to come. I am happy that when I communicated to the PNP executive that I would want to attend Mario’s funeral instead of being at the public session on Sunday, in my capacity as the Member of Parliament for St James Central, the constituency in which he lived and died, permission was granted.

In the final analysis, Mario’s death must become a unifying force not a divisive political football designed to satisfy the insidious intentions of a few misguided souls. His passing must transcend narrow partisan machinations. And those who are handling the family’s legal pursuits must ensure that in the process they do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. When all is said and done, Jamaica is home, and notwithstanding the many breaches of human rights in this country it would be disingenuous to suggest that we have reached a level akin a totalitarian state.

It is against this background that I support the need for an independent human rights commission that will not be subject to the whims and fancies of any government or political party. This is needed to protect every good citizen out there, as well as those who have fallen through the cracks because, in real terms, they are all intrinsically a part of Brand Jamaica, as was Mario Antonio Deane.

Lloyd B Smith is a member of parliament and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the People’s National Party or the Government of Jamaica. lloydbsmith@hotmail.com