Bruce Golding’s credibility was destroyed in the Dudus Coke fiasco

Dear Editor,
A JAMAICAN politician has labelled head of the Organization American States (OAS) observer mission to Guyana, former Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding, ìa panhandler with no decency or integrity who will sell his mother for a small change. The former Jamaican Member of Parliament was at the time reacting to criticism Golding has received from Guyanese who have accused him of parroting the position of Guyanaís Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, in Guyanaís ongoing election saga. Golding has admitted that Jagdeo is his longtime friend. Jagdeo, who is widely viewed in the Caribbean Region as corrupt, has challenged the results of Guyanaís March 2, 2020 general and regional elections.

The results announced by the elections commission show a win for the ruling APNU+AFC coalition. Jagdeo has however claimed that his opposition Peopleís Progressive Party (PPP) won the elections and has demanded a recount. Currently, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the political parties are locked in a battle over modalities for a recount of all ballots, which, many legal experts say, may be unconstitutional.
A May 15, 2020 recount agreement between CARICOM, President David Granger and Jagdeo, which called for CARICOM to supervise the recount process, was last week tossed out by the Guyana Court of Appeal. The High Court ruled that the CARICOM arrangement was unconstitutional because GECOM cannot transfer supervision of an election to anyone or entity.

Golding has been openly supportive of Jagdeo and his PPP party. He has joined with Jagdeo to call for GECOM to remove individuals, whom Jagdeo say are ìpartisans,î from its employment. Golding was Prime Minister of Jamaica from September 2007 to October 2011. However, politicians in Jamaica are shocked that Golding has been portraying himself as a stalwart of democracy and rule of law. “Bruce has no integrity or moral authority to speak on any matter of importance here in Jamaica. No one will listen. We here are surprised about his pronouncements on Bolivia and Guyana. Itís a total joke,” said a political observer in Jamaica.

Golding’s political career came to an end after he was forced to resign in disgrace in 2011. His resignation was triggered by a leaked US law enforcement surveillance audio recording. The spy tapes revealed that Golding and his government were in bed with infamous drug kingpin, Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. Coke was a criminal, drug lord and gang leader from the Jamaican ghetto area of Tivoli Gardens in South Kingston, Jamaica — a part of Golding’s parliamentary constituency. Golding also faced devastating allegations of corruption, including receiving bribes from the drug kingpin in exchange for protection. Observers have likened Golding’s relationship with Coke to that of Jagdeo and his former PPP government’s alliance with convicted Guyanese criminal and narco-trafficker Roger Khan.

Members of Golding’s Jamaican Labour Party (JLP) forced him out of office when Jamaicans discovered that, not only was he in bed with criminals, but had bitterly fought a US extradition request for “Dudus Coke.” Golding was so determined to protect the drug kingpin, who had allegedly been buttering his hand, that he orchestrated his government’s hiring of a Washington DC lobbying firm to pressure the US government to drop Cokeís extradition request.
The Jamaica Gleaner reported that “Golding resisted Coke’s extradition for nine months, arguing that the US indictment on gun and drug-trafficking charges relied on illegal wiretap evidence.” This caused critics to accuse Golding of attempting to usurp the authority of the courts.

Golding’s spirited defence of Coke severely “strained relations with Washington, which questioned Jamaica’s reliability as an ally in the fight against drug trafficking. When Golding finally agreed to send Coke to the US, a hunt for the fugitive led to days of fighting in May 2010 that killed at least 73 civilians and three security officers. Coke was captured about a month later,” the Gleaner reported.

Golding has been accused of having blood on his hands. With his integrity in tatters and a reputation for having greased hands, some Jamaicans are now speculating whether Golding has found himself in an inducement arrangement with Jagdeo, which has bought his bias against Guyana’s ruling APNU+AFC coalition. Dr. Peter Phillips, Jamaica’s opposition leader and political leader of the People’s National Party (PNP), has said that “the Coke saga was one of the bloodiest episodes in Jamaica’s recent history.” Bruce Golding’s “credibility was destroyed in the Christopher Coke fiasco,” Phillips said. Now that Goldingís reputation has suffered another blow with allegations that he has been compromised, some Jamaicans are calling for him to disclose the sources of his finances.

Regards
Pamela Maynard
(Ms. Pamela Maynard is a freelance journalist and photographer based in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica)

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