Dudus, Elections and More

The law of probability suggests that in all likelihood, this month Caribbean Focus would talk about the almighty, the all powerful, the lawless—yes, you guessed it—Christopher Dudus Coke! Let’s hear it: three cheers for Mr. Coke. Can I state from the outset, that the views expressed in this column are not necessarily my own views or the views of the Vine Magazine or even the views of the dog who donned his placard vowing his willingness to die for Mr. Dudus.

They are the views of a cross section of individuals who for whatever reason have thought it necessary to solicit my views and verdict on the Dudus case. You know Jamaicans already: somebody has to be judge and jury to execute punishment where it is deserving. But why ask me; what would I know?

“Well,” I ventured on one such occasion when confronted with the question, “He is a criminal and he can’t just be left to do what he wants. It’s people like him why people don’t want to go to Jamaica.”

“Now, Joy, me and you always think differently about some things,” my friend who questioned me responded. I could hear the tone of rebuke in his voice. “This guy is doing things for the people that the government of Jamaica is not doing,” my friend went on.

“Yes, but he is a criminal!” I retorted. “He’s a drug dealer and a murderer and it’s not right, so how could you even say that?”

I could feel an argument brewing but my friend stood by his guns—pardon the pun! “This guy is a powerful guy,” he told me.

That I could not dispute. Sure, it’s power: one man holding the country to ransom and creating havoc and disruption in so many arenas.

Now, my friend expressing these views may be able to dance reggae, but he has never been to Jamaica and so West Kingston to him is little more than a theory. I therefore decided it was safe to discard his views and leave him to theorise on his own. As I sat to put these thoughts down on paper, I soon discovered that these views went beyond my friend and the people I had seen demonstrating on television. Just search for Christopher Coke on facebook! Say no more.

But it wasn’t long before I was again drawn on the issue. This time I was trapped in a car with some other friends on a trip to London. There was no getting away.

“Have you been following the Dudus story?” my Caucasian friend asked—he at least had been to Jamaica before, though I doubt ever to West Kingston.

“There’s nothing to follow,” I said in a bad mood. My friend was not daunted. “Do you think America will take over?” he asked.“I doubt that very much,” I told him. “I think they know not to mess with

Jamaicans.”“Well, what about the soldiers? Do you think they will take over—like a coup?”“Look,” I told him sternly. “Everyday it’s a crisis in Jamaica—from one crisis to

the next—the soldiers have never taken over and they will not take over now. Just watch, this issue will pass just like any other.”

My friend went on to give his little treatise on corruption, the need to knock West Kingston down and rebuild it afresh and his general manifesto to revamp Jamaica. I left him to exposit his ideas even as my mind travelled to the corruption on our doorstep here in the UK. With the UK elections recently over, there were cries in all quarters that many people were not able to vote because of certain anomalies in polling stations. There were no guns or wars here but the upheavals and sense of

disruption in people’s lives no less daunting as many people across the UK are increasingly living in fear of losing their jobs as they wait with bated breath to see what will unfold as policies from the new, historic coalition government.

And across the seas, once again in the Caribbean, news out of Antigua is that the results of their 2009 general elections have been overturned, forcing three of the ruling party—UPP—MPs, including Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, to give up their constituency seats or for by-elections to be called in those constituencies or for a new general election. The final outcome or the next step will be decided at a court hearing in late June.

The defeated ALP brought the charges against the UPP over some of the same type of election day anomalies that occurred here in the UK, such as the official closing time of polling stations. Whereas in Antigua, people were apparently allowed to vote after the official 6 p.m. closing deadline, in the UK even though people were actually in some polling stations queuing before the 10 p.m. closing time, at the stroke of 10, they were told it’s all over and granting permission for them to cast their votes would be illegal.

So it seems to be a messy state of affairs in all quarters. I’d say that the world as a global village needs to get its house in order. And as the media eye roves around picking up issues here and there, my prediction was correct: issues will come, capture media attention and then pass as we all focus on the next hype. Jamaican newspapers are talking about last month’s upheavals in West Kingston; Antigua has switched to other issues until things heat up again for the June 29 court hearing and no one is really clamouring here in the UK to find out when the results of the investigations into the election day proceedings will be revealed.

In the deliberations about Dudus, I vaguely remember someone suggesting perhaps he can run for the post of Prime Minister since he has done so much for the people of Tivoli! Now that would grab attention for quite some time and certainly I’d get my ears bent out of shape listening to it all and being forced to give some commentary on the whole scenario! It would be my turn to seek asylum, perhaps in whatever haven that Mr. Coke still inhabits today.