THE EDITOR, Sir:

I read the headline in The Sunday Gleaner on December 2, 2012: 'Kern puts down new roots'. The article was about the former member of parliament (MP), Kern Spencer, who had recently started a new entertainment company.

But what stunned me about the article was the reporter's casual dismissal of the case that has been lingering since 2007. After a brief mention of the Cuban light-bulb scandal, the reporter continued: "Now that the dust has settled on the sensationalised scandal, the ex-politician is now looking for a fresh start in the entertainment arena with Super 'K' Studios."

When did the 'dust settle', pray tell? Why has the case taken more than five years? Why does the director of public prosecutions still have her job?

In the cases of two Jamaicans tried in the United States in recent years, the trials were concluded in a few months: 'Dudus' convicted for 23 years and David Smith for 30 years. That is swift justice. In Jamaica, we have made a mockery of the word.

But, instead of keeping important issues like our impotent court system in the fore, our intellectuals from the university are busy debating if Patois should be taught in schools and MPs are busy familiarising themselves with the features of their new SUVs. No wonder so many Jamaicans seek their own forms of justice.

COLIN WHEELER

colinlwheeler@hotmail.com