Glen Tucker, Contributor

LAST WEEK, the nation lowered its collective head in shame and embarrassment on hearing what was described as a blunder by one of our pathologists. I was delighted. It seems only when foreigners of Bob Woolmer's colour have a problem here that our leaders awake from their slumber and decide to do something. For years, our loved ones have been handled as if they were dogs and insects when they die. Now, in a jiffy, plans are in place, funds are found, and we are going to have a brand new morgue - after the elections.

As the Woolmer story unfolded, some mealy mouthed lawyers and doctors, representing their professional organisations came on radio proclaiming "and for years I/we have been talking". Well, Einstein had some very unflattering things to say aboutpeople who do the same thing repeatedly and expect to get different results. The spotlight is now on our medical and justice systems so let us remain there and I will share some of my experiences.

Ignored by police

Four years ago, I was travelling down Slipe Pen Road. On reaching the Blood Bank, three men started firing shots at a man across the street. One hour later, I was returning and saw the police there and the man who was fired at, dead on the ground. I went to the policeman who was writing in a diary, identified myself, told him what I saw and that I could identify the shooters. Without looking at me he grunted, "Mmhmm"? So I stood aside and waited to give my statement. When he was finished writing, he crossed the street to where his colleagues were, chatted for a few minutes, then they jumped into their car and drove off. Three women close to me started laughing and one said to me, "Is uptown you come from, sar?" The laughing got louder as I drove off.

Early one morning, I went to the Kingston Public Hospital for some information. A hospital worker asked me to 'give him a hand'. He pointed to a woman of very ample proportions lying on the floor under the stairs keeping company with about nine cockroaches. She was dead and he wanted me to help him to carry her to the morgue. I am deliberately ending this story here. Suffice it to say that my response was heavily influenced by a newspaper story of grieving children being told by persons at that same institution, that their mother was already taken to the morgue. When they went there, she was on the floor being eaten by dogs. But that is the health side of things. What about justice?

Incompetent justice sysytem

As I write, an American district attorney is being forced out of office in disgrace, facing several lawsuits because he arrested three students without sufficient evidence. Not so here! In Jamaica, innocent citizens can be arrested, fingerprinted and hauled before the court based on suspicion, or as a favour to a friend, or a deal with some vindictive person with long pockets or nice legs.

For the next 10 or 15 visits to court, the arresting officer can feign overwork and ask for 'a little more time to complete the investigation'. All this, while there is this huge, painful 'transfusion' of scarce funds from the small pocket of the 'accused' to the bulging 'thread bags' of attorneys. Not to mention the loss of job and reputation while this wickedness continues. And the courts allow it.

Everyone I hear is pointing to incompetence. The incompetence they speak, of, however, refers to persons who because of deficient education and training are incapable of managing affairs assigned of them. The incompetence I see is different. It has its roots in the contempt we have for each other and self-esteem that is so low, we just do not think we deserve better. Wake up Jamaica!