Today, Sunday May 23, 2010 as my family and I relaxed at home in Kingston, Jamaica we received a call from a friend overseas.

“ Unnu alright?”

“Sure, why u asks”

“ Mi hear se Jamaica a bun down, 2 police station down town has been torched and riot de a Tivoli”

“Well, you know more than we, but with the extradition request for ‘Dudus’ being signed and with what has been happening this week, it could be true, I will call you back”.

With that I hung up the phone, turned on the radio and proceeded to call some friends. True enough, all hell had broken out down town and our beloved Jamaica was in crises. The situation was in fact so severe that a limited State of Emergency has been declared for the corporate area.

What exactly is a State of Emergency you ask, well according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, “A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale for suspending civil liberties. Such declarations usually come during a time of natural disaster, during periods of civil disorder, or following a declaration of war (in democratic countries, many call this martial law, mostly with non-critical intent)”.

What exactly are civil liberties, again I give you the meaning taken from Wikipedia; ‘Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that protect an individual from the state. Civil liberties set limits on the government so that its agents cannot abuse their power and interfere unduly with the lives of private citizens. Common civil liberties include the rights of people, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, and additionally, the right to due process, to a trial, to own property, and to privacy’.

I must admit I am deeply saddened and outraged at what is happening in my beautiful and beloved island. The series of events that has led to this situation was avoidable. We appear to be getting a perfect demonstration of the adage, ‘Oh what a perfect web we weave when first we practice to deceive’. Now the entire nation must pay.

One encouraging but unconfirmed piece of news we have gotten today is that Mr. Coke ’Dudus’ is prepared to waive his rights to a trial here and is willing to be extradited. Could it be true or is it simple wishful thinking. If it is true what implications will it have on some of our leaders, after all they seem to have gone to great lengths to prevent this extradition. Is it too late to stop the anarchy already taking place on the island? Jamaicans, we need to find a way to break away from garrison politics. In the mean time we need to pray for as peaceful as possible solution to this present situation.

Nuff Love