By Prior Beharry
THE Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on National Security is set to hold a private meeting on Friday morning to deliberate on the Opposition’s request to summon National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and other relevant figures on head of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) Major Roger Best being sent on leave.
The request for the committee’s convening was initiated by Opposition members Dr Roodal Moonilal and Jayanti Lutchmedial, who expressed their shock and alarm over the manner in which information was being disseminated regarding the National Security Council’s decision to place SSA director on administrative leave. Former ambassador Anthony Phillips-Spencer was appointed to act in the position.
In a letter addressed to JSC chairman Keith Scotland on Tuesday, Dr Moonilal and Lutchmedial conveyed their concerns about the piecemeal information being “fed” to the public, prompting a call for Hinds and former National Security Minister Stuart Young to appear before the committee.
In response, Keith Scotland, in a letter dated March 6, 2024, informed Moonilal and Lutchmedial that the decision on witnesses appearing before the committee would be a matter for the committee’s consideration. He directed the secretariat to circulate the Opposition’s correspondence to all committee members, proposing an urgent discussion on their request at the upcoming meeting.
The virtual meeting, scheduled for 9.30 am today, will be held in private, where committee members will deliberate on the Opposition’s request. JSC Chairman Keith Scotland, along with Government members Randall Mitchell, Ayanna Webster-Roy, and Richie Sookhai, will join Opposition MPs Moonilal and Lutchmedial, along with Independent Senator Paul Richards.
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