Up front I’ll concede that today’s lead topic above consists of my layman’s ramblings on a societal issue that is very complex, complicated, technical, even profound.
But like most profound issues which occupy human intellect, justice is originally derived from fundamental reasoning, basic human behaviour and reactions – hopefully even honourable ones.
Dictionaries and definitions indicate that justice, as a concept, has to do with that which is “just” preferably derived from fairness, impartiality and that which is legally and morally right. Justice in the more legal sense of course, is the administration of law; hopefully based on what is just. The law here trumps morality! Frankly Speaking, Guyanese rarely treat justice as “fairness” or “righteousness”. Frequently their cries for “justice” means findings and decisions on their side; only that which pleases them is their brand and sense of justice. So from whence came all the foregoing?
A commodity for some?
“And-justice-for-all” has long been supplanted by “only-the-justice-you-can-afford” from the daily evidence that abounds. I mean that in our courts-of-law, it seems that completely fair arbitration arising from the best representation, like some consumer commodity, goes to those who could afford same. Best attorney, best price, best fee.
Then the reality is also too many hundreds of pending cases, too few judges and magistrates equal mighty backlogs and justice delayed. I’m now encouraging a mother to go more public with the human rights violations and prolonged delays even a (guilty) son has had to face from the police and court systems.
We all know of trials dragged out for years as files get misplaced, witnesses disappear, withdraw or die causing cases to get washed out. Many traffic “causing-death” cases just “dissipate” after repeated postponements. And just a month ago a careless 57-year-old crashed into my taxi causing me a little lingering trauma still. I was there, I saw and felt his carelessness. Now, in court he denies his dangerous error. A magistrate who was nowhere around is called upon to judge guilt – or innocence.
By the way, how are the following examples coming along in our valued justice system? The case where a female attorney is accused of causing death via a road accident? Senior police officer similar? Pitbull owner of dogs who bit a fellow to death? The Sophia Muslim fellow accused of sexually violating boys? “Justice for all?”
Any effective assistance?
Until I return to all this, I now try my best to indicate what persons or agencies available should be here to offer real assistance to the poor and the powerless seeking legal justice.
A Ministry of Social Protection could one day offer judicial protection. A new Ombudsman will hopefully be appointed with dispatch. A Legal Aid Clinic offers only limited assistance with certain types of cases. The Police Complaints Authority, attracts little comfort or “satisfaction” from today’s public and the force’s Office of Professional Responsibility is seen as merely police – investigating – themselves. Guyana Relief Council and Help and Shelter will swiftly advise that they are not about ensuring justice – just shelter.
And, lastly for now, I invite representatives of the poor and the media to help me understand what our “human rights association” does! I’m aware of the occasional analyses and rare prosecution of anti-poor issues; a petition to the U.N. But I feel we deserve a more activist rights body here. With (paid) experts and subject–specific legal minds.
Discuss…
A Canary now sings elsewhere
I often try to recall just how it came about that I was so hooked onto Calypso from my early youth. Was it the music all around the world of Alberttown, Queenstown, Bourda wherein I began to know life? The Lonckes, the violin, pianos and pan-yards? Maybe.
In my early teens, between Bourda RC School, Bill Rogers at Chatam and the Globe and Astor cinemas on Church Street, Georgetown, I was exposed to live Kaiso. Ole-time original, no Soca. In those cinemas – fifties to seventies – I loved the calypso wars between Lord Canary and his spar King Fighter. Later I would see Sparrow, Blakey, Melody, our Lord Coffee around the Metropole/Gems Robb Street locations. My love for the original calypso art-form was sustained.
Still later in life I became more acquainted with Malcolm Corrica and his party-oriented calypsos at the People’s National Congress (PNC) rallies, general councils, concerts, and congresses.
Canary passed on to a higher stage this past Monday. (If I wanted to I could go to one or two funerals every week.) Corrica was “Destroyer” before he was “Canary”. You couldn’t dare to discuss any fault of LFS Burnham with Malcolm. Corrica did tons for local culture via the Cultural Centre, Mashramani and other national occasions too numerous to mention here. But he would confide to me that one of his best-ever contributions to national development was his supervision of Burnham’s Bel-Lu clay-brick factory on the West Demerara. Malcolm lived long enough to see us now importing clay-bricks from Trinidad!
I was privileged to produce a long-delayed summarized Biography of his life earlier this year. But still my pen is heavy as I write this for he could have benefited even more from that. (Let’s buy all remaining copies from his family as we bid him goodbye.) The Trinis said he had a “sweeter voice” than their own Sparrow in the sixties. Sing on, on High my Lord.
Imagine, ponder…
.1) Do you realise that the letters from five or six contributors fill much more column inches than weekly columnists? Those regulars are prolific!
.2) When will Hillary Clinton and President Granger host full-fledged Press Conferences?
.3) Who’s negotiating for us senior-citizen-pensioners of the Government service?
.4) So our elected reps are back in Brickdam after their long vacation.
.5) Acquire the Old Co-op bank building and build a modern Vendors mall.
’Til next week!
