‘Not an easy task’

A charge has been given by Supreme Court Judge David Batts to the newly trained recruits of the National Reserve of the Jamaica Defence Force to uphold the law and Constitution of Jamaica.

Batts, who was the guest speaker at the passing-out parade at Up Park Camp on December 9, reminded them of the saying by a British philosopher that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.

“Your presence on this parade ground tells me that you are good men who have decided to do something, and for that I applaud you,’ the judge said.

He implored them that it was important, however, as good men, to consider what they do.

“As soldiers, as members of the security forces, you are charged to uphold the law and Constitution of Jamaica,” Batts emphasised.

He congratulated the soldiers, of which the majority were women, and told them that they had been training for one year and he was sure they were well-trained.

The judge said Jamaica needed them more than ever because given the high crime rate and other threats faced by its citizens, the National Reserve would be called upon even more frequently for assistance.

“You are, therefore, aware that Jamaica is governed by the Rule of Law. This means that the law applies to everyone, rich and poor, governed and governors equally. It applies to me the judge as much as it applies to you the soldier,” he assured them.

Safeguard Constitutional rights

In reminding them of their duty, the judge said the Constitution of Jamaica was the country’s highest law and guaranteed everyone the right to life, liberty, the security of the person, freedom of movement and freedom of expression, among other things. The judge said that as good men, good soldiers, it was their duty to safeguard those rights for every Jamaican, and in doing so, they were to also safeguard them for themselves.

“It is not an easy task. There are Jamaicans who do not respect these basic rights and offend them against their fellow citizens. Sometimes doing so in horrendous ways. These offenders hide among the populace. Oftentimes, they do not tell their mothers or their children of the gangster life or the livelihood they enjoy. Sometimes they threaten those around them into silence.

“This makes it difficult for good men who endeavor to bring those evil men to justice,” he said.

The judge told them that as they do their duty to uphold the law, they must be careful to respect the rights of all Jamaicans. He advised them to remember always that the purpose of pursuing the evil minority was to protect the majority.

Batts pointed out that slavery and colonialism, in a plantation economy, taught violence, but “it is our challenge in independent Jamaica to replace ignorance with enlightenment and violence with peace”.

He assured the soldiers that the challenge could only be overcome if good men identify, oppose, and bring to justice evil men wherever they may be found in this “Jamaica Land We Love”.

editorial@gleanerjm.com