Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 09, 2017 Letters
Dear Editor,
The COI into the perceived mishandling of the investigation in the plot to kill the President leaves more questions than answers. Firstly, The president offers a hefty $14 million and selects Paul Slowe, retired ACP-a person who campaigned for the Coalition, spent the last ten years of his career without being further promoted and being superseded by three ACP who became commissioners of Police and took to the courts for being transferred.
This reeks of patronage on behalf of the president and reason for impartiality by Slowe. Slowe obviously felt that he was victimized by the GPF-who wouldn’t after going through his ordeal? While the COI was in progress the president citing or hearing about a list of names of senior police ranks due to be promoted by the PSC before the expiry of the said commission on the 4th september – stop the promotion-without any consideration that his action was in breach of the Constitution-the supreme law of Guyana.
It seems that the president knew what the outcome and recommendations of the COI would have been, having directed same-how else does one explain the announcement that a big shake up of the Force will take place before the presumed, leaked recommendations. The COI was to establish if Police officers substituted their professionalism.
Had Granger wanted an impartial analysis he should have chosen Clinton Conway instead of Slowe who have good reason for nursing a grievance. The recommendations, whether self made or given by Slowe, may not have been leaked but rather put to the public to test its reaction. While step one-stopping the PSC from doing its work-was unconstitutional, carrying out those recommendations will entails taking over the powers of the PSC-disciplining of ranks.
That will bring “weeping and gnashing of teeth”-violations to the max! While the COI showed some discrepancies in the way the top brass handled the investigation. It is felt that the matter could have been judiciously handled by the PSC-the legal body to deal with such issues. Having violated the constitution in several instances, Granger in his recent speech at the UN asked that body to “to resolve to reinforce respect for the rights of citizens within governance structures of our member states.”
When the constitution is violated in a country, it is the “rights of citizens” that are being trampled upon-should we call this double standard or the understatement of the year? It is true that the GPF have some bad apples at the top and promotion is based on godfather and politricks -all of which requires some form of cleansing. But for the executive to superimpose itself on what should be an independent constitutional body is reminiscent of the Burnham regime.
Is the gory days coming back? I would hate to see cops cleaning a canal beside Granger’s home any day! We have all watched cop movies where we see the hard working cops with outstanding records getting promoted. How do we explain Blanham’s rise to Crime Chief? How many cases did he solve? How many did he investigate in comparison to Marlon Chapman the most senior detective in Guyana.
While Blanham is accredited as the most successful Crime Chief;he did so on the strength of talented investigators like Suraj Singh and Ed Caesar. Blanham was more of a Public Relations man who took the spotlight when the crimes were solved. There are more cases of the godfather syndrome in the force; mediocre cops are promoted and the good cops are left behind.
These contradictions could at best be solved at the constitutional level and not by presidential intervention; we pride ourselves for living in a democracy and not a military state. The public wants to know! Will the PSC be given an extension in its life and allowed to promote the ranks that are not involved in Granger’s COI and listed for promotion?
Will the govt. proceed with the recommendations and risk being taken to court on constitutional grounds? They had awarded BK over a billion dollars of state funds ostensibly for fear of going to Court. On that account they would not flinch to give four affected cops 30 million per head, from state funds-just to have their way. We ought to have a clause in our constitution for “negligent indulgence” where politicians pay for their stupidity from their pockets.
Concerned citizen
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