ABSTRACT
The most popular alternative dispute mechanism in the Commonwealth Caribbean is the office of the Ombudsman. This office was established to address those abuses which the ordinary courts cannot adequately handle, or which are not convenient for resolution before the courts. The office of the Ombudsman thus performs a quasijudicial function. Thus, in a modern day context, the office of the Ombudsman is viewed as an alternative or supplement to the court system, as a means to bridge the ever-increasing gap between the bureaucracy and the citizenry, and to protect the citizen from the abuses of the ‘machinery of the State’. It is, in fact, a tool to facilitate good governance.
