One wonders if the confusion surrounding the post of CoP has come to an end when last Friday the Parliament debated and voted on a new Acting Commissioner of Police and two Deputy Commissioners of Police. This required a simple majority vote and was a foregone conclusion that Mr. McDonald Jacob would succeed former CoP Mr Gary Griffith. All 22 Government MPs voted ‘for’ while 14 Opposition MPs loyally abstained in the absence of Opposition Leader Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar. It was a pretentious display by both Government and Opposition with this vote’s political implications being far more important to the parties than the nation’s security. Intrigue has hounded the position since Mr Griffith’s appointment in 2018 and the Politicians have made sure of that.
It is no secret that from day one there was political manipulation and interference by the Government in the Police Service Commission (POLSC) process of appointing a new COP. It became more of a mess when the then CoP Griffith was approved by the POLSC to act as CoP only to be subsequently and highhandedly told by the then new Minister of National Security Hinds that he could not return from leave to do so. This seemed intentional for the Government to have its way.
At the end of Mr Griffith’s term, a member of the POLSC allegedly leaked emails of approval for Griffith to act as CoP. This was to be followed by the resignations of two of its members as it appeared that they refused to follow instructions from the chairman. Chairman Bliss herself subsequently resigned, some saying that she was the scapegoat for the Prime Minister who allegedly instructed her to pull the CoP merit list back from the President, who allegedly acquiesced. A right royal mess indeed!
Of grave concern amidst this chaos was the conduct of the President. Too many were left disappointed by her clarification and comments on the “missing” merit list and her seeming unwillingness to take a stand against perceived political interference and apparent manipulation of our independent institutions. The citizenry has a right to be concerned while definitive answers remain in abeyance.
An investigation was also launched into the issuing of FULs as preliminary inquiries by select individuals revealed concerns in the way these licenses were granted by the CoP. One investigator has since cleared the air however on Mr Griffith’s involvement. Perhaps that would be the final word on that matter now that Mr Griffith’s return to the post has been prevented.
The Opposition failed in its duty, as has become habitual of late, to hold the relevant authorities to account through the Parliament. Instead they assisted the Government in sensationalising the entire issue and misleading the nation. They brought an ill-advised motion of impeachment when it should have been a motion of censure that would have allowed for a debate on the conduct of the President. They failed to bring a Motion of No Confidence in the PM even after the Opposition Leader said it was the PM who instructed the President to withdraw the merit list. In their latest misadventure, they brought a motion to nullify the CoP Order just a day before the sitting. How could they not have known that they needed to file that motion at least twelve days before for it to be tabled for debate? The Opposition aided and abetted the actions of the Government. “Loyal” Opposition, indeed.
Clearly, PM Rowley was unhappy and dissatisfied with CoP Griffith after their fallout over the exercise of powers of the TTPS in going into private property to arrest persons in breach of the Covid-19 Regulations. This stemmed from the fact that a wide cross section of citizens believed that there was inequality of treatment with The ‘Zessers’ being targeted and arrested while the ‘Wessers’ were getting away with their Bayside and DDI parties. PM Rowley revealed he wrote to the POLSC expressing his dissatisfaction with CoP Griffith.
Ultimately, Gary Griffith has been the most polarising CoP since Randolph Burroughs. He also topped the 2021 Order of Merit list that was, mysteriously, recalled. While many may say he blew hot air and crime still ravaged us during his tenure, many will also say he was quite an effective leader in crime fighting and gave hope to many. Personally, I will never forget his help when I reached out to him as MP when the seven murdered Orange Valley fishermen were lost at sea. We communicated every day as he mobilised resources to help find the bodies of the fishermen. I cannot say the same for the then Minister of National Security nor Minister Hinds who publicly refused to visit the families. It was because of this tragedy and the failure of the coast guard that Gary Griffith reintroduced the TTPS coastal/ riverine patrol unit. He was also on the ground a lot with his men, accepted invitations to community meetings to give guidance on crime fighting initiatives and partnered with the private sector to help the TTPS with resources.
Was it that “GG” could not be controlled by the PM and that they wanted a more malleable CoP? Was it worth the erosion of our independent institutions? Only time will reveal the true intentions of all those who refused to accept Gary Griffith for a second term as CoP.
Merry Christmas T&T