New twist in ‘Dudus’ affair

Canadian newspaper raps Golding on 'Dudus' affair

BY DESMOND ALLEN Executive Editor - Operations Investigative Coverage Unit icu@jamaicaobserver.com

Thursday, April 15, 2010

THE United States White House and State Department declined yesterday to confirm or deny reports out of Washington that a career diplomat has been identified as ambassador-designate to Kingston.

But impeccable Observer sources insisted that the person had been identified, though not announced, and that a career diplomat was deemed to be more desirable than a political appointee, in the frosty environment caused by the stand-off over Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

"A career diplomat has the requisite skill to manoeuvre in a situation where there is disagreement with a foreign government. They are almost always deployed to trouble spots," the Observer source said.

"By appointing a career foreign service officer, the Obama administration also avoids the long delay that could be involved with Congressional approval of a political appointee," another knowledgeable source said.

The US was still playing its cards close to chest on the appointment of an ambassador to Kingston to succeed Brenda LaGrange who ended her tour of duty a lengthy 16 months ago.

There have been suggestions -- denied by the US -- that the non-appointment of a replacement was linked to US unhappiness over the Jamaican Government's refusal to hand over Coke, the Tivoli Gardens strongman, who is wanted in the States on alleged gun-and drug-trafficking charges.

White House spokesman Ben Chang would neither confirm nor deny the reports when contacted by the Observer, saying only that "there is nothing new or different", to what he previously told the newspaper, that an ambassador would be named as soon as an appointment was made.

State Department spokesman Michael Tran said he could not go beyond the position of the White House as "such matters are handled by the Office of the White House".

And Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding has found a detractor in the influential Canadian newspaper, the Globe and Mail, which described Golding as "unwise" in a recent editorial on the issue. It called on the Jamaican Government to "act now and turn the extradition request for Mr Coke over to the courts".

"The refusal of Jamaica's prime minister to extradite a man Washington describes as one of the world's 'most dangerous' drug kingpins is unwise," the conservative paper wrote.

"Up until now, the Caribbean island of 2.7 million has won praise from the US for its co-operation in signing off on extradition requests for those who face charges for serious crimes, helping to build the country's reputation as an ally in the hemispheric battle against drug trafficking and gang-led violent crime.

"However, the stalling over the August 2009 request to extradite Christopher 'Dudus' Coke has caused a rift in the relationship with Washington. The incident threatens to expose political corruption in the Government of Prime Minister Bruce Golding, underscoring the reality that criminal gangs and politics are still linked in Jamaica, as the two main political parties rely on 'garrison dons' or heads of urban communities to produce votes during elections," the newspaper said.

It noted that in a major address in 2007, "Mr Golding pledged to tackle crime and corruption -- the island's two most significant social problems. Three years later, his government's ambitious initiatives remain stalled in Parliament, and five anti-crime proposals have yet to be debated."

-- With additional reporting by Harold Bailey in New York

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COMMENTS (20)

Wayne L
4/15/2010

Cee Dubya, if I can enhance the thought process of one Jamaican I would have done my job. if my post would have caused one person to begin evaluating all the sides without chosing a political side, I would have done my job.

Rhone Breeze
4/15/2010

This is ominous for the JLP. In the next election, the afflulent USA will advocate for the PNP.
The Jamaicans are not impress with Bruce's obstinate behavior, many frustrated.
With no capital and lack of the people's support, the JLP is moribund.

Nasri 75
4/15/2010

Well well this a new twist?

David Bennett
4/15/2010

It seems a bit awkward that Bruce Golding's administration is still defiant over the extradition of notorious criminal suspect "Dudus". It is unfortunate to say that Jamaican politics may be intertwined with criminal elements and if this is so it doesn’t hold well for Jamaica internationally.

Cee Dubya
4/15/2010

@Wayne and Jay,
Sigh. Oh, the access to publish, in short order, our comments. As Monk would probably say, “It’s a gift – and a curse.”
For, here we have this facility where people are commenting on certain matters and now we have folks who are casting judgements on folks who decline to post/comment on certain matters.
Like, seriously? What next? The poster who is gonna comment on who is analysing the kinds, frequency and quality of posts…? Here is one possibility: You get to the board, read through and realise that three or four posters have cumulatively expressed the same sentiments. The reasons don’t have to stop at “…intellectually incompetent” or “polarizing”. C’mon. Not nice.
I noticed this same ‘judgement call’ the other day in another post (about the lack of commentary on Wignall’s account of the girl who had been buried alive). I shook my head and decided to ignore it.
But, yet another ‘judgement call’ today? C’mon, guys. Enough already. Not everyone’s commentary will span the girth of matters that ours (and many others) does. Can't we just leave people be to comment - if they want to, when they want to and how? They can do without the added pressure man.

Radcliffe Lewis
4/15/2010

Take a look at the image accompanying this article. Anybody who knows anything about the US AID would know that if Golding has the mission director that close to him he is not as "unwise" as anybody would like to think he is. She packs heat, and is "The United States". So if he is hot, she immediately becomes his arresting officer. If she is close, she is either seeing everything, or she is seeing nothing. But I don't think the career foreign service officers of the United States are "unwise" either.

Wayne L
4/15/2010

Jay Brown, yesterday I viewed the blogs and said the same thing. But if you do an analysis of the blogs on a daily basis you'll see that it is the same set of people bar a few that are consistently posting. These bloggers' only interest is Dudus and other things political. Therefore, you can't possible expect anything else. Either they are intelectually incompetent on commenting on other topics or they are just simply polarising. So many are arguing as if life in Ja will be at a standstill if Dudus is not extradited. I believe it was yesterday that I saw a report of a potential investment by the Chinese of approximately $1.5B and there were no comments. I saw another report on the performance of our tourism product and there were no comments. All these guys are interested in is just "beat down". But then, that's what we have come to expect of Jamaicans right? I'd like to see some uplifting post about the country. I'm sure it is not all bad happening there.

mark jones
4/15/2010

The moral of the story is be careful of what you wish for..........Having gone all out to attain the highest office of the land, playing various roles in the process i am sure BRUCE would rather;
a) wish he was still on his talk show
b)sitting on the next side of the house
c)cooking up a storm in the kitchen
d) back to his former life as a business man

Contact Done
4/15/2010

Think about it: perhaps Bruce truly believes that the evidence comes from the "termite inna dem brain".

Steve Allen
4/15/2010

I think the most important issue that the primeminister
needs to do , is to create projects to put our young people at work.
If he was doing that, you would see a decline in the murder rate in Jamaica, instead of seeing an increase.
Small projects like giving each young person 50 chickens and feed and other such stuffs to give them a jump start.
We Jamaicans living abroad will be willing to contribute money to such projects.
While the police can focus more time on the hardcore criminals that don`t want to work.

John John
4/15/2010

Bruce,
What has Jamaica done to you? Why are you continuing to drag Jamaica's name through the mud?
Every crook and every criminal knows that there is a chance they will get caught. If and when they do, they should not be allowed to hide behind women, children and their country regardless of who they know.
Even infant school children knows that.
That is Prime Minister 101.

JAN WATTS
4/15/2010

Once again JA is all about Dudus, When will the people of JA learn that the USA, life is not about Dudus its about getting things going here and dipping our nose in other people business, Unlike JA its all about Dudus, grow up the US don't care about JA, all they want is Dudus period.

4/15/2010

@Jay Brown. Jamaicans are not only pre-occupied with the Dudus Affair but the affairs of the IMF deal and the budget for e.g takes spotlight as well. You need to realize that the "Dudus Affair" is huge and this government's handling of the issue has not gone down well with the rest of Jamaicans here and abroad. The PM is obvious pre-occupied with this issue because we dont hear is voice clearly standing up for anything else. Look at the Armadale incident, the students that were shot up in a bus in Kingston, unemployment rising etc. Do you hear Mr. Golding standing firmly and voicing greatly his concern for the rights of these J'cans? No..............
So the only thing we hear the PM talking about is 'Dudus', so why shouldn't the rest us J'cans place focus on this issue as well.

george watson
4/15/2010

The prime minister said he is willing to pay a political price for his decision not to extradite West Kingston strongman Christopher “Dudus” Coke and the choir jumped on the bandwagon praising Mr. Golding for defending the country’s sovereignty.
Consequently Dr. Phillips’ request for answers of this and the MPP affair has labeled him a traitor. Meanwhile it has been reported elsewhere that 18 Jamaicans were extradited last year, even as the prime minister was fighting tooth and nail to deny the request from the United States for Mr. Coke.
Come on now, we can’t have it both ways, HE IS EITHER DEFENDING OUR SOVEREIGNITY OR HE IS NOT. How come Mr. Coke is more equal than the rest of us?
In the graffiti matter, how come if the JLP is not actively organizing the campaign, as they say, they have not called off their attack dogs, who are plastering the city with their filth?
And how come the Observer has remained quiet on the matter and not demanded that this campaign cease?
There are more questions than answers.

John John
4/15/2010

The Sop & the Don by JJ.
In a time of war, only certain type of men hide behind women and children even if they have a sop at the top to protect them.
If I go out and steal a car, and get caught, I would not hide behind women and children.
If I decide to get in the drugs and gun game and get caught, I would not hide behind women and children.
If I get caught I would not sacrifice women, children and my country to save my skin even if I have a sop at the top to protect me.
There is such a thing as being a Jamaican.
The sop and the don are not behaving like Jamaicans.
The good news for REAL JAMAICANS is that there is such a thing as momentum. First the United States. Then Canada. I am still waiting to hear from England. Do we still have Governor General?
Bruce- the deeper you dig, the more you subject your countrymen and women to climb out of.
SHAME. Shame on you. You should have never left the kitchen. That is where you belong. Boiling water.
The End.

Kweli Simba
4/15/2010

If there is corruption in the Bruce Golding adminstration then it should be exposed regardless of the outcome of the Dudus affair. There is no room for corruption in this or any other administration in a country that has suffered the pangs of such. In addition, the lag in appointing an Embassador to Kingston could be a result of the grid lock in the US congress in vetting the administration's appointees. It would serve us better to consider the inticasies of the Dudus case rather than the political rhetoric that has pervaded the discussion.

JA Cynic
4/15/2010

A GOJ mininister would declare" It is a conspiracy!" as he reads the above report which states that "additional reporting by Harold Bailey in New York" containing no mention of the role played by Harold Brady in the Dudus Extradition Affair.
JA Cynic

nervous investor
4/15/2010

I cant believe that the Globe and Mail is being described as a "conservative" newspaper. I stopped reading that paper long ago ..... I found its reporting skewed way over to the left side of the spectrum ..... though maybe "left" might not be the right term .... the "activist" side for a particular agenda might be more accurate.

Brooklyn Jamaican
4/15/2010

There is no twist, there are no turns. The USA has always said there was no link. After all many diplomatic posts worldwide are still vacant.

Jay Brown
4/15/2010

The blogs were basically dead yesterday as no article was carried on Dudus, so today I expect them to light up.
Its therefore evident to me that presently Jamaicans have become so pre-occupied by the Dudus affair that many other more important issues are simply missed or do not evoke outrage or any response at all

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New twist in ‘Dudus’ affair