A former Police Service Commission (PolSC) chairman says it is not unusual for a Prime Minister to meet with members of the commission’s board.
“As chairman, I did meet with the Prime Minister in 2011 when I was first appointed,” Professor Ramesh Deosaran said yesterday.
He told Guardian Media that he and other members of the PolSC discussed a number of issues with the then Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
“The commission cannot live in an isolated environment. It has to share and be fact-finder as well, and if that means to execute its purpose it has to meet with the Prime Minister, who is responsible for the Parliament and the public’s safety through policing, then that’s a justifiable reason to do so,” he explained.
However, in the case of Dr Keith Rowley meeting with former PolSC chairman Bliss Seepersad to share information about Gary Griffith, Deosaran said it’s hard to say whether he overstepped since nobody knows what was presented to Seepersad by the PM.
“Influencing the decision of the PolSC is far different from transmitting information that is relevant to the PolSC’s purpose,” Deosaran said.
Deosaran said he had noted the concerns in the public domain about the way the Prime Minister transmitted the information and the suggestion that Dr Rowley should have presented it to the Parliament instead.
However, Deosaran noted that the person who the allegations were being made against would not have been given the opportunity to defend his or her name in the Parliament.
“If the information is given beforehand to the commission, this could help finalise its list,” he stated.
However, Senior Counsel Avory Sinanan holds a slightly different view.
He believes Dr Rowley could have presented his evidence to the Parliament during the merit list debate.
“When it gets there, any Member of Parliament or the Prime Minister could raise objections and say, ‘look, file a motion. I have certain objections to this candidate and these are my objections which are then voted upon’,” Sinanan said.
He added that by also informing the PolSC of any allegations, the commission would have done its due diligence before submitting any list.
The Senior Counsel also believes that Dr Rowley should apologise to citizens.
“I am certain he would endure himself to the population and all concerned. Tell them, ‘my enthusiasm to carry out proper governance was in the interest of the country and I do apologise and I do believe I should have adopted an official communication beforehand to the PolSC or raise the matter when the merit list was placed before the Parliament,’” Sinanan suggested.
He noted that unless a thorough investigation is done by the Police Service, there is no way of confirming Rowley’s actions constituted misbehaviour in public office.
