Please allow me the opportunity to respond to a letter on March 16, titled 'Col Douglas' misplaced gripe' and written by Michael Brown.

His letter accuses me of failing to supply valid and credible reasons to show why the Defence Board's policy of barring non-Jamaican-born officers from being appointed chief of staff is bad for Jamaica. The simple reason is that Jamaica deserves the best to head up its army and different agencies of Government. The appointment should not be based on place of birth, religious beliefs, ethnicity, etc. Barring non-Jamaican-born officers is not only discriminatory but possibly deprives our military of the appointment of the most competent.

Non-native Canadian officers

Mr Brown criticises me for not saying anything about Canada's policy regarding who heads their military. In fact, the Governor General of Canada, Right Honourable Michaelle Jean (born in Haiti), is the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces. Canada does not discriminate between native and non-native Canadian officers and their appointment as Chief of Defence Staff.

This is evidenced further by the fact that General John de Chastelain, born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1937 and emigrated to Canada in 1955 and naturalised in 1962, served as chief of defence staff from 1989 to 1995. It is also interesting to note that the United State Armed Forces Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1994-97) was General John Shalikasvilie, who was born in Warsaw, Poland.

My disappointment with Mr Brown's letter is with the final paragraph where he alleges that Jamaica has "too many foreigners, not just foreign-born citizens occupying high positions in Jamaica". Who are they, and what high positions, Mr Brown? Like me, and thousands of other native Jamaicans living and working in other countries, should we not be judged on our worth and hold positions based on that and not on our place of birth?

Story done!

I am, etc.,

Colonel Allan Douglas (pro patria)

alldouglas@aol.com