Dear Editor,

Prime Minister, I encourage you to condemn the action of the Jamaica Constabulary Force in apprehending the St Thomas man who was seen in a video criticising you for tightening curfew hours. I don’t support the man’s conduct in the video, but I’ve assessed the situation and can definitely identify gross violations of his constitutional rights.

Prime Minister, it is a sad day when a black man oversees the violation of another black man’s rights, because for the better part of 500 years our ancestors were without rights. And, therefore, to take away such a treasured achievement as human rights, which our ancestors fought and died to allow us to have is, to me, more than the usual abuse of power.

Emancipation Day has come and gone and we celebrated a significant event — the ending of slavery. The abolition of slavery is when we began the journey to acquiring human rights as Jamaicans under the British Government and overcame the status of chattel or property. Therfore, can you understand my reason for thinking that it is very important to set a precedence by condemning the violation of free speech, along with the many other rights that are suspected to have been violated?

The fact is that these rights underpin our civilisation and prevent us from reverting to the status of the enslaved. You don’t have to throw the police force under the bus as the sole culprit because they seemed to only be concerned with your honour. However, the police force must be told, in no uncertain terms, that such conduct is illegal, immoral, and utterly unacceptable in a free and democratic society.

So, I appeal to you, Prime Minister, please do the right thing and send a message that your Government respects the rights of its citizens. This is not the legacy you want to cultivate in politics and not the example you want to set for future leaders. The world is watching, Sir.

Toraino Beckford

torainobeckford @gmail.com