Rev Al's crosses

Ian Boyne, Gleaner Writer

After a disconcerting electoral defeat, Sir Alexander Bustamante mourned, "Jamaica is a real Judas island." The Rev Al Miller, not unfamiliar with Biblical stories, could be forgiven for saying the same thing today.

Imagine after an entire nation was gripped for 10 months with heart-attack-threatening anxiety over the dispute between Jamaica and the United States over its extradition request for alleged drug lord and gunrunner Christopher 'Dudus' Coke; and after the death of 73 people following the invasion of Dudus' colony in Tivoli Gardens, his escape and fugitive status for almost a month, God's man finally brought him in safely. The noose the US had around our necks was removed.

Dudus trusted one man and one man only with his life - Merrick Al 'Tah-dah' Miller. With all the advocacy of the media, local and international - including the biggest and most powerful; with all the lobbying of influential civil society groups; with all the firepower and might of the combined police and military; with all the resources of the Central Intelligence Agency, Dudus was still not available for capture after nearly a month.

If Dudus had been found and killed, the big agenda-setting media in North America and Europe would speculate that important people in the Government wanted him dead because he knew too much. The reputation of Jamaica would suffer extensive, perhaps, irreparable harm. The consequences for all Jamaicans would be incalculable.

The safe turning over of Dudus to the US authorities was what the US State Department wanted - not his capture and death. So anyone who would assist in having him reach the US to face trial would objectively, unquestionably and uncontroversially benefit Jamaica.

To put it flawlessly, Brand Jamaica today is in a far better position and is much stronger with Dudus safely in New York than it would be with either his continued fugitive status or, worse, his death by the security forces. This is incontestable, irrespective of what position you hold on the legality or morality of Rev Miller's action.

President Obama could have smiled freely and wholeheartedly with Prime Minister Bruce Golding recently with the knowledge that 'his man' was sent safely to him to help with his country's relentless war on drugs campaign. If Al did not earn Dudus' trust, Jamaica would still today be tense, with considerable resources being expended in the attempt to capture Coke.

In shock

How much more blood has been spared, how much valuable material and human resources saved and tension eased by that courageous act of a man who, though he said he was "'fraid like puss", nonetheless resisted that fear, reached for courage and his faith in God to go for Coke? Rev Miller must be thinking, "I can't believe this!" He probably thought he would have had to hire a publicist just to handle the interview requests from CNN, ABC, the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, the BBC, London Times, Guardian etc, aside from every station and newspaper in Jamaica.

Surely, it would not be presumptuous to assume his making the Order of Jamaica list for Independence morning, or that perhaps some major civic function would be held in his honour, bankrolled by the lads and ladies in the private sector, with perhaps an ecumenical service to boot. Seriously, Al must have thought that he would have to be turning back accolades and encomiums for his gallant act of bringing in Coke. His hours spent with him in Tivoli before the invasion, that conversation on the way in to the US embassy - surely that must be stuff for a book deal!

If Al were too humble to contemplate all the glory that would be his after his successful escort of Coke, surely it could not have escaped the imagination of those close to him and certainly not his church members'. Pastor Al would finally get all the recognition the Lord wants him to get and to use that caché for the role God has uniquely set out for him. However, the dream has turned to a nightmare. Al must be stunned.

Certainly, his strong backers are. If he is not thinking of Judas, I am sure many of his most ardent followers are.

I declare my own deep affection and love for Al Miler. Al has been a friend since the 1980s. A faithful friend who would never say no to me if I ever needed his help. Al is like that to all his friends and associates - and to many who are just casual acquaintances. He has a heart of gold. Al has opened up his church to me whenever I have needed it and sometimes I have needed it, in a hurry. All my special festivals are held at Fellowship Tabernacle, and though Al and I differ fundamentally in theology, he has always opened his arms wide to me.

If Al is convicted on this charge, my eyes will not remain dry, no matter how hard I try. But reason and objectivity must not be eclipsed by sentiment or genuine love. A keen observer of events and politics in Jamaica would see that Al was inadvertently setting himself up for this heavy polarisation, which has hit him in light of his unsuccessful attempt to facilitate the escape of the fugitive from Jamaican law enforcement.

Absolutely foolish point

Al blundered on this issue from the time he issued that ill-advised statement, opposing Dudus' extradition, making the absolutely foolish point that it was "a biblical principle" that a man should only be judged by his own nation.

What the dickens that had to do with an issue surrounding a treaty duly signed by and legally binding on the Jamaican Government, I don't know. But Al's misguided dominion theology made him vulnerable to the charge in this partisan society that Golding can never be wrong in his eyes and, therefore, he was duty-bound to put in his defence. While the Dudus extradition issue raged in March, Miller issued a statement to the Gleaner, which left no doubt which side he was on.

"We must all guard against allowing intimidation and fear to grip us to the extent that we sacrifice right principles and justice for personal safety. Let us not panic over what the United States or others may do, let us choose to do right." Miller went on to say, "Interesting to note, I have discovered that Mr Coke has not been to the States since as a child. All accusations against him are alleged to have taken place while he is in Jamaica.", which is absolutely irrelevant to the charges, and the prime minister himself did not raise that asinine argument. Miller had gone out on a limb all by himself - a limb which has now given way.

Then Miller not only went to negotiate Dudus' surrender at his armed camp, when the police had a warrant for his arrest, and met with him for a number of hours, twice, but, to my utter disgust, came back and acted like a PR man for Dudus. "Dudus worried about public perception of him, says Miller," blared an Observer headline of Wednesday, June 2. In that news story, Miller relayed how Dudus "voiced concern that his side of the story was not being told," with one getting the feeling that Miller felt obliged to do the favour.

In that interview, Miller spoke of Dudus' talk of his help to the children, the youth the elderly - everyone. Dudus was a peace broker also, bringing warring communities together. "He asked why people thought he is trying to create mayhem when has done everything to ensure peace." There was another story that same day in the Chat newspaper, "Dudus tells how to get guns off the streets."

In that story, we are told that this man of peace and goodness was giving advice about depleting the streets of bullets, for guns can't fire without them. If Al had taken the time to read the online comments following those two articles, he would not be surprised by the virulence and stridency of the opposition to his transporter role in the Dudus saga.

Al has continued with this unofficial spokesman role for Dudus with The Gleaner headlining his Sunday sermon last week, 'Coke wants peace'. Miller claims Dudus surrendered to end gang violence, save Tivoli, with Hero Dudus paying family indemnity. This provoked an excellent rebuttal by The Gleaner editorial of Tuesday, 'Don't sanitise Dudus'. There was already a lot of pique building up for Al by the time he was intercepted by the police two Tuesdays ago.

Al, in his leave-of-absence statement on Thursday evening, was still talking about his "defence of the principles of trust, truth, responsibility and justice". Al's best defence is that he acted to fulfil the intent of the law and to serve the cause of justice. Justice and law are not always coterminous. I agree with Al on that.

Absolute waste of time

But here's Al's problem: Even if he had succeeded in reaching the embassy, they would still have to turn over Saint Dudus to local authorities and he would still have to stay with the dreaded police for even one night. Did Al not know that? I hear pastors meeting with the police to determine a protocol. This is an absolute waste of time. It is elementary that if a man is wanted by the Jamaican police one's only option - whether sweetheart, lawyer or priest - is to contact the police. The police should not waste precious time meeting with pastors on something which is crystal clear.

If your fugitive doesn't respect Jamaican law enforcers, you have to, at least, respect Jamaican law. Interestingly, Al himself, in his March 15 statement to The Gleaner, said plainly, "We cannot break the law to obey the law." A case of cock mouth? Tavares-Finson and and Soutar should feel bad that Dudus apparently did not trust them to take him in. (Incidentally, Dudus is not as smart as some believe. How could he feel safe to come in with Al, when even a brain-dead police force would have had Al under surveillance anyway?)

Al has conspicuously erred in terms of law. In terms of motive and intention, I think he should be pardoned under these extraordinary circumstances.

Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.