Dear Editor,

The worst that should have happened to Fellowship Tabernacle Pastor Al Miller following his conviction for perverting the course of justice is that he should have been admonished and discharged; not fined and/or sent to prison.

This long-held view has been reinforced in my mind by post-trial comments from Al Miller’s attorney, and former Political Ombudsman Reverend Herro Blair on Nationwide radio.

The attorney criticised former Police Commissioner Owen Ellington for refusing to testify at the trial, despite having information that would have been helpful in Miller’s defence. Bishop Blair said he was “incensed” at the outcome, knowing, as he did, that Miller was responding in good faith to a request to get Christopher “Dudus” to turn himself in to the Jamaican police or to the US authorities in Jamaica without risk of more bloodshed. He expressed the view that Al Miller had been betrayed by the former police commissioner.

In light of the above, one is inclined to question the apparently hard-line position taken by the judge that Al Miller was being “less than forthright” during the trial and that he was, at least technically, legally, and/or circumstantially guilty as charged.

And with Owen Ellington’s continued refusal to comment on these revelations by Al Miller and Herro Blair other questions now come to mind; like, what’s the true story behind the former police commissioner’s sudden resignation and the virtual disappearance from public view?

When all the facts, and the truth, are reviewed, it may very well be that Al Miller should not only be admonished and discharged, at worst, it may be that he should have actually been pardoned and honoured, nationally, for being a catalyst.

If the society and the authorities fail to do ‘justice’ in this case, then we should not be surprised if the fear, suspicion and perception of endemic injustice continue to make accused or suspected felons unwilling to voluntarily surrender to local judicial authorities directly.

The obvious irony is that if better is not done in this case, despite self-righteous calls for Pastor Miller to resign as leader of Fellowship Tabernacle, and mealy-mouthed protestations of concern for technical, legal, moral high ground, then we should also not be surprised if, even with increasing demand for pastoral intervention to assist the police and minimise murder and mayhem, there is either a severe shortage or total absence of pastors, clergymen, et al, willing to take the risk.

C A Gordon

Kingston 10

carltongor@gmail.com