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security of the State. To counter this deficit, the public must be
trusted with access to information. On the other hand, openness
signifies confidence and maturity. Accordingly, we resolved that,
within the limits of the law and overarching considerations of
national security, public confidence in the work of the Commission
would be directly related to the degree of openness with which we
conducted the Enquiry. All persons, willing to be of good
behaviour, were welcomed to attend the sittings of the
Commission.
(iv) Respectful treatment and consideration for all witnesses.
We
endeavoured to ensure that all witnesses were accorded the dignity
that they ought to expect from the Commission, no matter their
station in life.
(v)
Respect for the rights of all.
Some matters for investigation by the
Commission were also the subject of ongoing litigation. We
therefore avoided discussion of those matters in the interest of
securing a fair trial of those matters in the courts.
References to Ranks of Officers
1.19.
Since May 2010, many of the officers who testified on behalf of the
JDF and the JCF have been promoted to ranks higher than those they held in
2010. Without intending any disrespect to these officers, we have referred to
them by the ranks they held in May 2010 because, for the most part, those were
the ranks to which witnesses referred during the Enquiry.
The Commission’s Secretariat
1.20.
The Secretariat of the Commission was located at the Jamaica
Conference Centre, Ocean Boulevard, Kingston. Mrs. Maria Jones was appointed
as Secretary to the Commission. We wish publicly to compliment Mrs. Jones on