The Observer has finally published my letter on the settlement of the PSC litigation.
It's interesting, but not surprising that the Observer itself has not had any editorial comment on the outcome of the litigation and the implications thereof.
Showing posts with label Letter to the press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Letter to the press. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
My letter on PSC litigation settlement finally appears in the Observer of December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Epilogue- my last letter to the press on the PSC issue
A week ago I submitted a letter to both Jamaican daily newspapers on the 'settlement' of the PSC litigation. So far neither of them have seen fit to publish it, so I am posting it here for those who are interested.
Dear Editor,
The former PSC members have capitulated to the PM and the AG under the guise of a “settlement”. Contrary to media hype, the PM has not apologized for, or withdrawn his claim of misbehaviour. This capitulation could have been done much more efficiently by simply resigning a year ago instead of pursuing expensive time-consuming litigation. The capitulation of the PSC litigants effectively completes the constitutional castration of the PSC, and sets a precedent for the Prime Minister and his successors to impose their will on other Service Commissions. I don’t see any Service Commission nominating candidates for positions without first checking with Jamaica House.
Alfred Sangster gloatingly characterizes his erstwhile colleagues as “arrogant and stupid” for having the temerity to stand up to the Prime Minister and his Attorney General. Dr. Sangster is certainly entitled to his opinion, but I would suggest that his justification for withdrawing his endorsement of Prof. Stephen Vasciannie is just as susceptible to the label of stupidity, if not arrogance. A year after he was fired, Dr. Sangster still has not mastered the concept of constitutional misbehaviour; he now accuses his former colleagues of ‘sociological and political misbehaviour’, a concept unknown to Jamaican constitutional law.
Piously, Dr. Sangster claims that he was “praying that some solution would come” and that he is “very happy that this has come, so people have to make friends again and people will have to restore relationships and dignity". What Dr. Sangster didn’t mention is that his “prayers” included interjecting himself in the litigation by filing two affidavits in support of the Prime Minister and Attorney General. These affidavits were filed on October 20 and October 23, 2008, less than two months before the scheduled start of the litigation on December 08, 2008.
At the end of the day, all of the ex-PSC members have capitulated to Prime Ministerial tyranny, aggravating the damage already inflicted on the constitution and the rule of law. I hope that future generations will be more forgiving of them than I am.
Yours truly,
O. Hilaire Sobers
ohilaire@yahoo.com
Washington, DC
December 10, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Is it personal, Mr. Golding? By Alison Irvine- Observer- Feb.05, 2008
Today's Observer also features a pointed critique by my wife Alison Irvine of Prof. Vasciannie's removal as chair of the Air Policy Committee. Alison exposes the folly of replacing Prof. Vasciannie, who not only has the qualifications for the job, but whom the government has recognized as having performed creditably during his tenure.
Alison points to the Attorney General's endorsement of Stephen Vasciannie's credentials in international law/international relations at the same time that she was objecting to his selection as SG, because of a purported lack of litigation experience. Certainly, Stephen Vasciannie cannot be disqualified from chairing the Air Policy Committee because of any lack of expertise in international law/relations as regards the formulation of Air Policy.
Noel Hylton, Alison points out, is chair of the Police Service Commission. Like the Public Service Commission, the Police Service Commission was sued for retiring a person in the public interest. The Police Service Commission retired a police inspector in the public interest, but the Supreme Court quashed the decision as unlawful for failure to observe natural justice. Alison rightly questions why the Police Service Commission was not subject to the same treatment as the Public Service Commission, following a similar adverse judicial review (in respect to Lackston Robinson).
The bankrupt order of Jamaican politics continues, despite Mr. Golding's promise of something new and different.
http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Sk1PLzIwMDgvMDIvMDUjQXIwMDkwMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Strange 'official' by D. S. Morgan
Here is a great letter by D.S. Morgan in today's Observer taking on Ken Chaplin's last column appearing in the Observer of January 15, 2008.
Please click on the following link to read the item:
http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Sk1PLzIwMDgvMDEvMTkjQXIwMTIwMQ==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Comment: Response by D.S. Morgan to Ken Chaplin's latest article.
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