MINISTER of National Security Senator Dwight Nelson seems to be one of those decent men who is part of a government that he dearly wants to believe in. As to whether the real players in government believe in him and his crime-fighting efforts and allow him into the inner sanctum of what really matters, we are still left to be convinced.

During the controversy which arose over the numerous attempts to stall the extradition of alleged drug kingpin Michael Christopher “Dudus” Coke, the security minister was, to the public, reduced to a bit player as Prime Minister Golding stepped out to the wicket, admitted he sanctioned the Manatt engagement, then sought forgiveness in what we were never quite sure he had done or failed to do.

During those times which led up to the army incursion on Tivoli Gardens, for all the publicly visible input that the security minister had put in, he may as well have been on vacation in the South Seas.

Now comes a most embarrassing cable via WikiLeaks which indicates that public perception in Jamaica was not too far off target as it related to the government’s commitment to the so-called war on drugs.

One part of the US document highlighting the concerns of Cuba over the seriousness (or lack) of the Jamaican authorities in tackling the drug traders read, “A prevailing concern and significant frustration on the Cuban side is the reportedly complete lack of cooperation afforded them by the GOJ when it comes to CD (Counterdrug) information sharing. DIS has spoken to no fewer than 15 Cuban MININT officers whose primary missions/roles are drug interdiction or support to drug interdiction. Collectively and continually, they express frustration over the GOJ’s consistent ignoring of Cuban attempts to increase the flow of drug-related information between the two island nations to increase interdictions and avoid ‘being surprised by drugs’.”

One part of the transmittal stated that in previous times the Cubans had sent written information to Government of Jamaica officials because they complained that they did not understand Spanish. “Without fail, MININT officials allude to the fact that narco-related information (that is, information on go-fasts and aircraft transiting to/from Jamaica in the vicinity of Cuba) passed to the GOJ is always translated to English because in the past GOJ officials stated to the GOC that they did not understand Spanish; MININT officers report that despite their efforts, GOJ officials still do not respond.” Clearly, this was an indication that the GOJ officials were just going through the motions and could not be bothered to employ an interpreter as needed.

The real indictment in the cable is the following, “In October 2008, DIS attended a counternarcotics meeting onboard the RFA WAVE RULER in the Port of Havana. The meeting was arranged by the UK Defence Attaché to encourage greater cooperation between GOC and GOJ over CD efforts; during conversations with the Attaché, the DIS learned that the impetus behind the meeting was to bring GOC and GOJ authorities together to encourage greater dialogue, and to quash growing frustration between the two. In comments to the DIS after the meeting, Cuban officials stated that the two Jamaican officers ‘just sat there and didn’t say anything’.”

In other words, if we buy into the concerns of the Cubans over the GOJ officials’ seeming lack of interest in the serious matter of stemming the flow of drugs, the two Jamaican officers probably yawned and said in the vernacular, “Mi waan go a mi yaad yaah, man.”

The Jamaican security minister has rubbished the details in the leaked document, but based on what the public has seen in just the Dudus matter alone, it is likely that many will tend to give credence to the details in the document rather than another “rubbish” from Minister Nelson.

It is well known that Jamaican drug barons contribute heavily to both the JLP and the PNP and once those cash funds roll in close to election time, they are never posted to any bank account. Instead, they are used to bankroll the day-to-day activities of the respective parties as the election campaign heats up.

It is therefore quite reasonable to assume that powerful officials in Jamaica will go out on a limb to protect drug barons, and many times even genuinely concerned ministers of government are powerless in this fight, as there are always officials lower down in the pecking order whose “duty” is to coordinate with the druggist and corrupt police officers to ensure that the passage to America is relatively unimpeded and the flow of money to the local shores continues.

It is well known that no drug baron can continue in business in Jamaica without the full knowledge and cooperation of powerful politicians and senior police officers. Minister Dwight Nelson may be well meaning, but he needs to respond in a more constructive manner to the details as set out in the leaked document.

Saying “rubbish” is not enough. The Jamaican people have seen much to indicate that “rubbish” alone just will not cut it.

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