How Jamaica Got to Be a Kakiscracy

When Jamaica first gained so-called Independence it was not as stupid as it became. It realised that a lot of the Brit stuff was good, and kept it.  The Brits who were running Ministries would soon complete their contracts, be replaced by locals they had hand trained.

It took ten years for Jamaica to go into the kind of Chaos when Shearer, the Prime Minister did the usual overreaction which got the majority angry.  With Black Power all the rage in America in the late 60s, early 70s, with the revolutionary spirit bubbling up, Michael Manley stepped in.

Unfortunately, there was a lot of political violence, and a few big people got killed. Because governments tend to overreact, in 1974 the Gun Court Act and Suppression of Crime Act unanimously passed and became law.

Whatever was said as to why these laws should pass, what happened is that the population was disarmed, anyone accused of possession of an unlicensed firearm or bullet went into prison on 'indefinite detention' (later changed to life) and the gun itself did not need to be recovered.

The Suppression of Crime Act gave police absolute unfettered power. Habeus Corpus was forgotten, Search Warrants were unnecessary, and from 1974 until 1990 Jamaican police behaved as the Tonton Macoute of Haiti.

Anyone, anywhere, could be searched at any time and anything found was chargeable.  By the time the Suppression of Crime Act  was abolished, a cadre of police who never knew better remained unleashed on the Jamaican population who had no rights, no recourse.

Suing Police often resulted in failure. No police officer has ever been convicted of murder.  The evidence is unimportant.  Police are not convicted of murder.

During the period of the 1970s to the present, 2010, Political leaders had their cadre of gunmen.  These people were somewhat above the law.  Often being able to amass great sums of money on drug deals, they could kick back to their 'leaders'.

Further, it was who you knew, not who you were.  Being the superannuated lover of some Parliamentarian insured that either you were run as an MP for a 'safe seat' or got some big job and big pay and no work position.

Over time, the workers with integrity were replaced by those without, so that many Permanent Secretaries, who had taken office in the late 60s would retire in the 80s, be replaced by those who retired in the 90s or 00s, so that most of those holding high office never worked under the British nor the first local official.

The kind of innate corruption of these people is only matched by their incompetence.  

As there was never any real check or balance, as Brits had a sense of morality and dignity, which Jamaicans do not, anything goes until stopped. 

The head of the Bank of Jamaica got higher pay than Alan Greenspan.  The kind of obeying political directives, permeates all aspects of government, so that no one and nothing is neutral; it depends on what one has to get what one gives.

By 2007 Bruce Golding came into office impersonating a statesman.  He ought of gotten an Academy Award.

People actually believed he was clean, he was honest, he could govern, and at the very least, knew what he was doing.   It took two years for them to realise he was corrupt, incapable, and had no idea how to govern.

When America asked for the extradition of Chris Coke it never expected to be denied.  After all, the evidence was there, and the request was one of a slurry that had been made over the years.

No one wanted to believe that no only would Golding not give up Dudus, (his area strong man) but hire an American legal Firm to dig through the Treaty.  And of course, deny it.

As Jamaica slips to a Failed Narco State, the people are distracted by taxes and all sorts of barriers to achievement.  The IMF agreement is probably the worst that could be made, but no doubt, Golding is getting something in the deal. 

In 2010 Jamaica, which was once the shining star in the Caribbean is now fighting for last place with Haiti.