Where is Justice

After reading the story on the Caribbean New News, which carried the caption “Sacked Vincentian Lawyers Puzzled over Firing” my thoughts ran even wilder that Jane and Tarzan in their wildest moment of passion put together. But these new developments have a foul smell emanating from them. I hope it is just my oversensitive sense of smell. I also hope it is not a case where this young lady is converting from a victim to a prostitute. I will develop this thought in another letter if I am allowed to do so. I hope it is just a case where the delay in justice has caused the alleged victim to rethink her approach, and is now going to try something new.

It is said that justice delayed is justice denied; but what is justice? Justice is the impartial distribution of treatment or the decision to take an action that is morally right, based on ethics, rationality, law, fairness and equality. Because no one can honestly tell whether individuals involved in a dispute are being truthful or not, civilised societies have instituted a system of justice, that was designed to try and discern right from wrong and to administer justice based on its findings. Although the justice system is not a perfect system, it is a fairly reliable system; but most of all it is the only one there is.

This system is so designed not to discriminate against anyone; it was not meant or designed for the poor unfortunate people, and it was not designed to give people a free pass depending on your social, financial of other status. It was meant to treat everyone as equals. If one ran afoul of the law, that individual or individuals are expected to face the consequences of their action but only if it is/was borne out or proven that they have without lawful excuse or willfully violated an individual’s rights.

In every situation that requires the justice system’s intervention, there will be satisfied and dissatisfied people; but what makes our justice system special is not whether an individual is guilty or not guilty (not guilty does not mean innocence), it is the fact that they have allowed the system of justice to follow its natural course. It is all about equity, and the principle that what is good for one is good for all.

I can remember one of my father’s signs, which read, “The arms of the law stretch into the cottage of the poor as well as the castle of the rich.” The unfortunate thing is the poor seem to live in the valley where the law operates and the rich live on the hills where they can look down on society’s less fortunate. Hence the reason the arms of the law always seem to fall short and justice is always incomplete when society’s elite are the offenders; but when they are offended, justice comes swiftly and it is sure.

When the elite of the society have to face the not so sweet music of the justice system, these are the times when people’s integrity seems to have a price tag and a sign which reads, integrity for sale the highest bidder gets the favour.

St Vincent is now lying in the ruins of corruption. The people (Vincentian) who were once considered the warmest and the friendliest people on earth have lost their integrity, their hospitality and their love. Now we have become a “we will do anything if the price is right” people. Our Carib forefathers have probably regretted giving this people and the dwelling such a distinguished name laced with blessings as Hairouna, which means home of the blessed, to Maroona, which means abandon or leave behind. Because that is what we as Vincentians have done; we have marooned our values, our pride, our ethics, wisdom, all hope but most of all we have marooned our people.

The worst thing is the simple fact that the John the Baptists, the Jonahs and the Elijahs: the men of God that operate in St Vincent have forsaken the instruction of the lord Jesus Christ; men of God who fear the authority of powerless, earthly mortals but spit into the face of the all powerful Immortal God.

It is no wonder that our youth are behaving like mad people and valueless beasts, craving after everything that is negative, and practicing exactly what we have taught them. We are excellent teacher of the negative. Now there is no turning back for Vincy (new name Maroona)