By Sue-Ann Wayow
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley is accepting that Government has made errors regarding the selection process of a commissioner of police but he has confidence that the High Court will be able to settle the controversial matter.
Speaking at press conference on Thursday, Dr Rowley admitted, “As head of the country and as a citizen, I am very concerned and open about the situation and more importantly I am part of the situation because as head of the National Security Council, as head of the government as a Member of Parliament, I am in a very ticklish position.”
He added, “I still have confidence that our institutional arrangements will eventually work us out of this situation and it will be adjudicated upon in the proper place in the proper way and where errors have been made, that we can rectify it without much more bacchanal.”
The Police Service Commission (PolSC) is responsible for selecting a new top cop following the end of a three-year contract with former CoP Gary Griffith who again re-applied for the post.
The commission has been taken to court by both Griffith and former head of the Police Social and Welfare Association acting Senior Supt Anand Ramesar.
The hearing of the application for an injunction by Griffith to have the PolSC have him return to work has been adjourned to Monday.
And mere minutes before the application was to begin virtually, member of the PolSC Courtney McNish tendered his resignation.
The Opposition had called for the immediate resignation of the entire PolSc board given the handling of the matter especially PolSc head Bliss Seepersad.
While there have been some loss of confidence in institutions and not individuals, Dr Rowley said, “We would not come out of it unscarred.”
Referring to previous processes, Dr Rowley stated, “This situation is far worse than what we tried to fix.”
Dr Rowley said, “The confidence I express is in the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago. We have an independent Judiciary and that Judiciary will look at the situation and adjudicate on the questions put to it or the facts put before the bench.
“And I have confidence in our judicial officers who make decisions acknowledging that an error was made as the Government has done. We did not do so capriciously. We did so by seeking sound legal advice. This is all a legal matter. It is not emotive. It is not racial, it is not school based.”
The Prime Minister also said the Opposition had “no moral authority” to join in the debate especially as Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar “makes a career out of derogating people.”
He said there was no political interference as far as he was aware and the issue was “a serious set of conflicting legal opinions at the different locations of the country’s management.”
He also reminded the country of the two foreigners who held top positions when the Opposition was in Government, former Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs and former Deputy Commissioner of Police Jack Ewatski who resigned with more than a year left of their three -year-contracts remaining while Jack Warner was National Security Minister.
Dr Rowley added that governance in a mature country was an evolving process.
And referring to Griffith, Dr Rowley said institution would prevail over individual.
