A set of defamation lawsuits filed against Dr Dayton Campbell, general secretary of the People’s National Party (PNP), have now been settled. These relate to suits filed in 2023 by Energy Minister Daryl Vaz, along with James Robertson and Othneil Lawrence. These were settled with a full public apology from Campbell and agreed settlement of costs.

Dayton Campbell

The core of the settlement relates to admission by Campbell that his reference on a political platform to alleged wrongdoings by said gentlemen were false, malicious and defamatory. He agreed to a formal public apology, to withdraw the allegations, and offer financial compensation for legal costs incurred by the aggrieved parties.

The agreement with Vaz is particularly telling, given the weight of what was alleged and the long-running nature of the chief allegation forwarded to the public by Campbell. Specifically, Campbell alleged criminal conduct by Vaz, referencing long-standing rumours to a murder and a 2015 assassination plot against Prime Minister Andrew Holness. In the settlement agreement Campbell acknowledged that the allegations had no foundation in truth and agreed to withdraw the statements entirely and publish written apologies affirming the same.

Daryl Vaz

With this settlement Vaz is right in declaring that he has been vindicated, especially in the matter of the murder allegation that has dogged him for the past 40 years and from which he was judicially exonerated by clearly established evidence (passport and college records) that he could not have committed that murder. The allegation concerning Holness is so specious it hardly merits comment. Vaz has to feel that a burden has been lifted off his shoulders even though he realises that it has done some damage to his reputation and unnecessarily put his family through a haunting nightmare.

A number of concerns arise with respect to Dr Campbell. In Jamaican parlance, you can speak of him as a “bright” man. Against the odds he has been the recipient of a good education, graduating from a premier university, The University of the West Indies (UWI), as a physician and a lawyer. There can be no doubt that his educational bona fides have been well established.

Dean Peart.

But there is something about politics, especially the tribal politics, as practised in Jamaica, that can pour scorn on excellent academic achievements and the promise of a bright future, particularly when you are on the stumps jockeying for political power. And while I am not necessarily saying this about Dr Campbell, some of the brightest minds have allowed hubris and self-promotion to get the better of them. There are times when humility is required, but like Icarus of Greek mythology, they find themselves flying too close to the sun.

Oftentimes, to score a political point there are those who are willing to suspend their moral judgements in service to the power they seek. What has bothered me the most in this matter is the abysmal lack of judgment on the part of Dr Campbell in his willingness to perpetuate a matter that has been adjudicated and laid bare for the past 40 years, and in which no charge had been proffered against the one that he was willing to continue to smear and humiliate. In service to which cause, Dr Campbell?

What reckless abandonment of common sense that at no time you did not allow any form of legal restraint to prevent you from making such utterances when it would be clear, even to the most unlettered, that saying those things would expose you to a lawsuit. What higher cause were you serving? The strength of your moral conscience or obeisance to the political forces that could guarantee you a set in Gordon House?

I do not believe the matter is career-ending for Dr Campbell. I still believe that he is capable of making a strong contribution as a young man in his chosen fields. It may cast a blanket over his judicial temperament as a lawyer and cause some of his medical patients to take a second look at him. It might not hurt his political future given the political ecosystem in which we operate. But his experience should be a signal warning to others on both sides of the political fence that you do not demean others in your quest for political power. The same courtesy that you expect from your opponent is no less the courtesy and respect that you should afford them. Let your own internal locus of self-respect and dignity be your guide.

More importantly, the matter speaks unerringly to the personal reckoning that Dr Campbell has to have with himself. Time will tell how sincere his apology was. Was it really to end the lawsuits and put the matter behind him and the party he represents? Will it be, for him, a moment of personal reckoning and self-examination in which he comes to terms with himself and really resolve to go in a new direction. Here it is more than a mere mea culpa, Dr Campbell. It is an expression of your essential self.

James Robertson (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

Farewell, Dean Peart

This column regrets the death of Dean Peart, a consummate politician who served his party and country with pride and integrity. As Member of Parliament for Manchester North Western, he demonstrated the ethic of hard work and won the hearts of his constituents. This made him a formidable opponent and he went on to serve as a Cabinet minister for the People’s National Party (PNP).

Deanie, as he was fondly called, represents a brand of politician that is exiting the Jamaican political landscape. There is much to learn from politicians like himself by especially younger members who are offering themselves to serve. My condolence to his family as they mourn his loss. May his soul find its rest in God’s peace.

Othneil Lawrence.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He also hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.

Raulston Nembhard