The allegation by Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin that Mr Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke was tipped off about the extradition request for him within minutes of the information being given to the security minister, is indeed instructive.

The debate that Mr Lewin’s claim has sparked is, in our view, further evidence that Jamaica will not get past this difficult period until there is an opportunity to get out the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the handling of the extradition request and the Manatt Phelps & Phillips episode. All of which subsequently led to the implosion and massive loss of life in Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston.

Mr Lewin, who was commissioner of police seven months ago, told his CVM Television interviewer last week that the day before the actual extradition request arrived from the United States, he had told national security minister Mr Dwight Nelson it was coming. The minister went on the phone to the prime minister and arranged for him to meet with Mr Lewin. In the 15 minutes it took him to get to the prime minister, Mr Lewin said, Mr Coke had been tipped off and made a beeline for his Tivoli Gardens base.

Even though Mr Lewin did not say who tipped off Mr Coke, it is difficult for right thinking persons not to conclude that he meant either the security minister or the prime minister.

Of course, Mr Nelson has since repudiated the rear admiral’s claim, but it has further clouded the extradition issue and added to the mountain of doubt being harboured by the nation.

Obviously, we are not in a position to know which of the two gentemen is telling the truth. Conceivably, Mr Lewin could have received intelligence from the Americans who could well have been tapping somebody’s phone. Or, Mr Nelson could be right that Mr Lewin is speaking as a bitter man who had failed miserably as police commissioner.

What we are certain of though, is that the populace on a whole is more confused than ever, and that there are more questions than answers. Indeed, there are other implications.

Mr Nelson has raised the spectre of the outdated Official Secrets Act at a time when Whistleblower legislation is going through the parliamentary process. If it is believed that Mr Lewin has blown the whistle, then any waiving of the Official Secrets flag could be construed as an attempt to muzzle him.

That by itself, suggests that Mr Lewin may have more damaging information to come, information that the Government might not wish to be aired.

Frankly, as a country we cannot operate this way.

On the one hand, it cannot be acceptable for Mr Lewin to tantalisingly divulge information he received as commissioner of police, possibly to the detriment of our national security. On the other, we cannot have our security minister behaving as if he fears the divulging of information by a former police commissioner.

All of which is to say that the only responsible thing for the Government to do at this point is to resort to a Commission of Enquiry, as we have urged in this space, to allow everyone involved to come clean and restore faith in the leadership of our country and our State.

If the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government believes it has much to lose from letting it all hang out at a Commission of Enquiry, we argue strenuously that there is no benefit for the Opposition People’s National Party.

We are all in this thing together.