By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE new nominees for the Police Service Commission (PolSC) must be fiercely independent.
They must operate without any political interference therefore earning the public’s thrust that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) will be an independent institution acting without fair or favour.
This according to Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar as she debated the motion to approve nominees to the PolSC in Parliament on Wednesday.
The motion was piloted by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley who detailed the credentials of the nominees.
President Paula-Mae Weekes has selected five names for positions. They are Ian Ramdhanie, Maxine Attong, Maxine King, Rajiv Persad and Judith Jones.
Three names the Opposition raised issues with on Sunday with Opposition Senator Wade Mark stating there were potential conflicts of interest involving Ramdhanie, Attong and King.
These issues, Persad-Bissessar again raised in Parliament stating that the non-substantive motion was unfair since the members should be carefully scrutinised not just for qualifications, experience but also for any apparent bias.
She also stated that the Opposition had no ill-feeling towards the nominees.
Persad-Bissessar suggested that there may be an increase in criminal activity partly due to the fact that for the first time in the country’s history there was no “lawful head of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service TTPS.”
She stated that while the selection process of both service commissioners and police commissioners should be expedited, it must be done thoroughly.
“It is important that we don’t lose sight of whoever is placed there, the nominees that the public must have that trust that there will be independence of the police service…We want to put persons on this Commission who would be fiercely independent,” she said.
“The outcomes for selection of process for the nominees for Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner will only be as good and fair as the Commission which undertakes the exercise to make the recommendations,” Persad-Bissessar added.
She also spent some time reflecting on the events that led to the motion being debated including the resignation of all four previous members of the Commission, a merit list that was never debated in Parliament, and the High Court ruling that former CoP Gary Griffith acting in the position of CoP was unconstitutional as well as he position of acting deputy CoP.
When cautioned by House Speaker Brigid Annisette-George, Persad-Bissessar said the public must understand what enabled the motion in the first place.
“We are here today because the Police Service Commission collapse,” she said.
And Persad-Bissessar again questioned if there were any political interference in the entire process of the selection of CoP and Deputy CoP saying there were many questions that were still unanswered.
While parliamentarians were getting prepared for the debate, outside of Parliament, Opposition supporters – advocates of the People’s Revolution staged a protest which attracted police attention.
In a live video that was shared on social media, the protestors said they were breaking no law while adhering to public health regulations.
