The Editor Sir:

I have sent the following letter to The Clerk of Courts, Spanish Town PO, St Catherine.

Dear Sir/Madam: Re: payment of travelling allowance - jury duty done June 23 to July 11.

I am writing this letter out of frustration and a sense of bewilderment, as it seems the system is designed to frustrate honest Jamaican citizens who do not shy away from their patriotic duty by rendering jury service.

I served as juror in the Spanish Town Circuit Court from June 23 to July 11. At the end, we were required to complete and sign an application form for the allowance of $500 for each day that we were required to attend, the princely sum of $2,500. The system wasted our time for the rest of the three weeks as no cases could be tried except for one small case that was disposed of in a few minutes. However, that is another serious matter worthy of separate discussion/investigation.

All particulars required from me were entered on the form, including my TRN and telephone contact numbers and we were told to check with the office of the Ministry of Justice in about eight weeks for collection of cheques.

Frustration

Why, in this 21st century and technological age, should it require eight weeks is another matter worthy of separate investigation.

Today, I was finally able to speak with the clerk responsible for preparation of these cheques - a Mr Campbell - 17 weeks after serving. I refused to be ruffled or put out by impatient staff of the ministry who seem to expect that every caller intends to fuss with them! I refused to lose my cool or be put off by the attitude or excuses, which allowed me eventually to be allowed to speak with Mr Campbell.

Mr Campbell's only assistance to me was to say that there is no cheque there for me, perhaps because the claims have not yet been received from Spanish Town, so I will have to go back to Spanish Town and check with them. I work in Cross Roads. My insistent inquiries to Mr Campbell as to whether anything could be done to expedite the situation besides my having to travel to Spanish Town only drew polite silence from him. I suggested to him that it seems the system is designed to frustrate the jurors into not collecting, as we seem to be required to spend more money chasing the allowances than we are to receive.

Unjust

Mr/Madam Clerk, $500 cannot fully reimburse a person for a day's jury duty, yet honest taxpayers are put through this trauma until and unless they decide to just let it be, since it costs much more than one is expected to receive in pursuance of that sum. This is unjust and leaves one to wonder what is the real motive. I refuse to believe that staff inefficiency/ incompetence is the answer - I have more faith than that in my Jamaican brothers and sisters in the Civil Service who are our own relatives.

What then is the problem? Is it too much to ask that someone in the system speaks out and let the nation know the problem? I have now served as juror on three occasions, and only once have I been able to receive my allowance. God help those jurors less fortunate than I am! No wonder so many persons do everything in their power to avoid service, even at the risk of prosecution!

Thanks for your patience and your kind understanding, while not really expecting a solution to my problem, although you have all my contact information on the form I filled in, which is also on this stationery.

I am, etc.,

ALMERICK C. COOKE (Jr)

Jamaican trying to remain patriotic