Scarface or Gonsalves: A question of honour 6?12/2013
In today’s society, officious females take pride in and very often refer to themselves as being bitches. This degrading self-labeled term is often a warning to all; what is to be expected of such calibre of woman, if she is crossed (provoked or make angry).
In St Vincent and the Grenadines, I have heard through the grapevine and as a police officer via the daily internally circulated list of crimes reported, allegations of criminal offences that were committed by people of means and or power. Unfortunately, for our criminal justice system, these cases never seem to reach beyond the stage of the victim’s report. It seems the accused person often finds a way to avoid the “embarrassment,” the negative publicity and the “stigma” of being arrested, charged and tried by a jury of their peers if the offences merit such.
Most of the accused people seem to cause the loud and persuasive voice of the almighty dollar to drown out the willingness and the desire for justice of their hurting victims. There are those who shamelessly use their influence and connections to alter standard operating procedures or to forcefully intimidate their victims into forgetting about their pain and their pursuit for justice, while there are some guardians of the law (lawyers) who totally forget about the oath they took (to always uphold the law and to ensure justice for all without fear or favour), use their knowledge of the law and the weakness thereof for the reward of filthy lucre. They bury justice deep in the thousands of law books; as they use justice’s safety devices that were put in the law to protect the victims of crime, to help the accused facilitate a miscarriage of justice, causing such accused persons to avoid prosecution based on technicalities.
It is said that justice delayed is justice denied; however, I want you all to know that justice may be delayed but she is never denied her opportunity of recompense. For Lady Justice is an arrogant bitch, who hates to be tricked, embarrassed, made a fool of or denied the opportunity to serve to those who so deserve an appropriate share of her favorite dish: justice. Lady Justice has a memory that is much longer than the memory of the victims and the accused persons. She also possesses other tools of dispensation beside the legal system, to ensure that every deserving person drinks of the brew that she has so carefully prepared for those to whom it was appointed. When she is forced to, Lady Justice uses tools such as the uncontrollable hands of Karma and the unstoppable wind of divine Retribution to accomplish her purpose.
But who is Lady Justice? Justice is one of the perfect qualities that make up the character of the almighty God Yahweh; it is also an instrument that is used to keep Yahweh’s children from straying from the path he has ordained for them, thus keeping us his children in his favour. On the other hand, Lady Justice is a metaphorical description of one of Yahweh’s tools that keeps his creation in check. When men by their actions try to prove that they are more powerful than the Almighty God, denying his law the opportunity to fulfill its true purpose, then he is forced to use other means to accomplish his will. No one can escape the hands of Yahweh, which are the hands of justice.
Recently, Anthony ‘Scarface’ Hamilton, a convicted thief and rapist, was shot and killed by police, while in handcuffs and in police custody. I was shocked at the level of rejoicing that erupted over this troubled young man’s violent death. You would have thought that Scarface was the bastard child of an adulterous pig who ate the community’s only white fowl. As bad as Anthony was, he was someone’s child. This troubled child has parents, siblings and friends somewhere who saw a different side of this troubled young man and are bemoaning the loss of their brother, their son, their friend; for there is some good in the worst of us.
I am not trying to justify the evil that Anthony ‘Scarface’ Hamilton has inflicted on the community, especially, the selfish, life destroying act of rape. I can very well understand and appreciate the feeling of relief that some members of the community may have felt when they learnt that the threat which was posed by Anthony ‘Scarface’ Hamilton was no more. I could also imagine that some of his victims may feel that justice was served when Scarface’s death came by government issued bullets; those emotions I can understand, but what I don’t understand is the volume and the widespread level of public rejoicing over the violent death of another human being.
Let us get to the bottom of this issue, and let us see Scarface for who he really was: an ex-convict. But what or who is an ex-convict? An ex-convict is a person, against whom a criminal allegation was made, who was taken before the court, was convicted of the crime or crimes and satisfied the penalty of that crime as was dictated by the law: the voice of society. In other words an ex-convict is a convicted criminal who has paid his debt to society and is allowed once more to be reintegrated into society of which he is a part. Although you are allowed to take precautions against their publicized habits, these people are not to be singled out or discriminated against, because they have already paid their debt to society.
It seems that the laws of St Vincent and the Grenadines were created to keep the poor and the powerless in check, the police force was set up and designed to intervene on the public behalf when there is allegation made against the poor and powerless, the officer of the Director of Public Prosecutions, its staff and the entire court system is design to prosecute and seek punishment against the poor and the powerless, while justice, and fair play is being denied.
Let me explain what I mean. Like Scarface, Prime Minister Gonsalves had several allegations of rape, sexual assault and other crimes brought against him, while Scarface was arrested, charged, prosecuted before a jury of his peers, most of the time he was found guilty and he satisfied the prescribed penalty that was handed down by the court; Ralph E. Gonsalves, the prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, did not. He managed to use the post given to him by the people, the power that was vested in him because of the post and his nepotistic appointed friends (the commissioner of police and the director of public prosecution), to betray the public trust, depart from the lawful and standard operating procedure to procure a miscarriage of justice on his behalf.
Should Ralph E. Gonsalves use state facilities outside their prescribed purpose? Isn’t that a crime that is called corruption? How many crimes, standard and expected professional ethics, standard operating procedures were violated by government officials to facilitate the miscarriage of justice that was perpetrated by and on behalf of Gonsalves?
While Gonsalves uses state funds and state personnel to evade the law there was no loud outcry against him or on behalf of the victims by the public. My question is: is the public waiting until Gonsalves is dead to express their hate, dislike and outrage against him. To do this will not be right; for such will not have the impact of change that an objective voice will have today, the evil would have already been done. Like Scarface, Ralph E. Gonsalves is a human being, with a mother, wife, children, siblings and friends and they too must be allow to deal with the pain of their grief in peace; no one should ever try to compound the grief of any person for any reason.
Finally, now that I have given you a different perspective on this controversial matter as well as many important points to consider, with an honest heart, tell me, which of these two men can be considered more honourable as it relates to the justice system: Scarface of Ralph Gonsalves? You be the judge.
In St Vincent and the Grenadines, I have heard through the grapevine and as a police officer via the daily internally circulated list of crimes reported, allegations of criminal offences that were committed by people of means and or power. Unfortunately, for our criminal justice system, these cases never seem to reach beyond the stage of the victim’s report. It seems the accused person often finds a way to avoid the “embarrassment,” the negative publicity and the “stigma” of being arrested, charged and tried by a jury of their peers if the offences merit such.
Most of the accused people seem to cause the loud and persuasive voice of the almighty dollar to drown out the willingness and the desire for justice of their hurting victims. There are those who shamelessly use their influence and connections to alter standard operating procedures or to forcefully intimidate their victims into forgetting about their pain and their pursuit for justice, while there are some guardians of the law (lawyers) who totally forget about the oath they took (to always uphold the law and to ensure justice for all without fear or favour), use their knowledge of the law and the weakness thereof for the reward of filthy lucre. They bury justice deep in the thousands of law books; as they use justice’s safety devices that were put in the law to protect the victims of crime, to help the accused facilitate a miscarriage of justice, causing such accused persons to avoid prosecution based on technicalities.
It is said that justice delayed is justice denied; however, I want you all to know that justice may be delayed but she is never denied her opportunity of recompense. For Lady Justice is an arrogant bitch, who hates to be tricked, embarrassed, made a fool of or denied the opportunity to serve to those who so deserve an appropriate share of her favorite dish: justice. Lady Justice has a memory that is much longer than the memory of the victims and the accused persons. She also possesses other tools of dispensation beside the legal system, to ensure that every deserving person drinks of the brew that she has so carefully prepared for those to whom it was appointed. When she is forced to, Lady Justice uses tools such as the uncontrollable hands of Karma and the unstoppable wind of divine Retribution to accomplish her purpose.
But who is Lady Justice? Justice is one of the perfect qualities that make up the character of the almighty God Yahweh; it is also an instrument that is used to keep Yahweh’s children from straying from the path he has ordained for them, thus keeping us his children in his favour. On the other hand, Lady Justice is a metaphorical description of one of Yahweh’s tools that keeps his creation in check. When men by their actions try to prove that they are more powerful than the Almighty God, denying his law the opportunity to fulfill its true purpose, then he is forced to use other means to accomplish his will. No one can escape the hands of Yahweh, which are the hands of justice.
Recently, Anthony ‘Scarface’ Hamilton, a convicted thief and rapist, was shot and killed by police, while in handcuffs and in police custody. I was shocked at the level of rejoicing that erupted over this troubled young man’s violent death. You would have thought that Scarface was the bastard child of an adulterous pig who ate the community’s only white fowl. As bad as Anthony was, he was someone’s child. This troubled child has parents, siblings and friends somewhere who saw a different side of this troubled young man and are bemoaning the loss of their brother, their son, their friend; for there is some good in the worst of us.
I am not trying to justify the evil that Anthony ‘Scarface’ Hamilton has inflicted on the community, especially, the selfish, life destroying act of rape. I can very well understand and appreciate the feeling of relief that some members of the community may have felt when they learnt that the threat which was posed by Anthony ‘Scarface’ Hamilton was no more. I could also imagine that some of his victims may feel that justice was served when Scarface’s death came by government issued bullets; those emotions I can understand, but what I don’t understand is the volume and the widespread level of public rejoicing over the violent death of another human being.
Let us get to the bottom of this issue, and let us see Scarface for who he really was: an ex-convict. But what or who is an ex-convict? An ex-convict is a person, against whom a criminal allegation was made, who was taken before the court, was convicted of the crime or crimes and satisfied the penalty of that crime as was dictated by the law: the voice of society. In other words an ex-convict is a convicted criminal who has paid his debt to society and is allowed once more to be reintegrated into society of which he is a part. Although you are allowed to take precautions against their publicized habits, these people are not to be singled out or discriminated against, because they have already paid their debt to society.
It seems that the laws of St Vincent and the Grenadines were created to keep the poor and the powerless in check, the police force was set up and designed to intervene on the public behalf when there is allegation made against the poor and powerless, the officer of the Director of Public Prosecutions, its staff and the entire court system is design to prosecute and seek punishment against the poor and the powerless, while justice, and fair play is being denied.
Let me explain what I mean. Like Scarface, Prime Minister Gonsalves had several allegations of rape, sexual assault and other crimes brought against him, while Scarface was arrested, charged, prosecuted before a jury of his peers, most of the time he was found guilty and he satisfied the prescribed penalty that was handed down by the court; Ralph E. Gonsalves, the prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, did not. He managed to use the post given to him by the people, the power that was vested in him because of the post and his nepotistic appointed friends (the commissioner of police and the director of public prosecution), to betray the public trust, depart from the lawful and standard operating procedure to procure a miscarriage of justice on his behalf.
Should Ralph E. Gonsalves use state facilities outside their prescribed purpose? Isn’t that a crime that is called corruption? How many crimes, standard and expected professional ethics, standard operating procedures were violated by government officials to facilitate the miscarriage of justice that was perpetrated by and on behalf of Gonsalves?
While Gonsalves uses state funds and state personnel to evade the law there was no loud outcry against him or on behalf of the victims by the public. My question is: is the public waiting until Gonsalves is dead to express their hate, dislike and outrage against him. To do this will not be right; for such will not have the impact of change that an objective voice will have today, the evil would have already been done. Like Scarface, Ralph E. Gonsalves is a human being, with a mother, wife, children, siblings and friends and they too must be allow to deal with the pain of their grief in peace; no one should ever try to compound the grief of any person for any reason.
Finally, now that I have given you a different perspective on this controversial matter as well as many important points to consider, with an honest heart, tell me, which of these two men can be considered more honourable as it relates to the justice system: Scarface of Ralph Gonsalves? You be the judge.
Comments
Post a Comment