NOTE-WORTHY
Published:Tuesday | March 16, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Too many constituencies
Thank you for the editorial of March 15. Months before the 2007 general election, our citizens' association hosted Derrick Smith, who was then the shadow security minister, and he spoke to us on security matters.
After his presentation, I asked him about something else that worried me, the possibility that we might (like Trinidad not long before) find ourselves with a tie in the upcoming elections. I asked if we couldn't just absorb one constituency, therefore ending up with the uneven number 59, instead of adding five more as was being touted. My suggestion was a strictly simple economic consideration.
Will they listen?
Mr Smith gave a somewhat scientific explanation of why it was necessary to add five. To my simple mind, this was too complex a solution compared to what I perceived as an easy solution, i.e. get the next odd number down and free up the already overtaxed Jamaican taxpayer.
Perhaps now that you have said it, someone will listen. I hope so!
Sonia King
Kingston
Pity the sorry JBA
The legal profession and, by extension, the Jamaican Bar Association (JBA) has become one sorry group as far as I am concerned. This group should be like a hawk in protecting our Constitution. They should be sounding the alarm whenever it is breached or when newly drafted laws were contrary to our Constitution and other laws.
Had our legal scholars (independent of the government councils) and the JBA looked into/examined the statute governing the extradition treaty among the USA, Canada and the British, we would not be where we are today in the Christopher 'Dudus' Coke issue.
Ominously quiet
At this juncture, where the extradition of Mr Coke takes on national discourse and, according to some, including Prime Minister Golding, that wiretapping is a clear violation of Jamaican laws and where others hold an opposite view the sorry JBA is silent. Why? I believe that some are clearly worried, and do not want to ruffle any feathers or they are afraid that they might lose their US visas should they speak up on this matter of extradition.
This sorry bunch only raise their voices when the government of the day takes action against criminals.
Authnel Reid