On Friday, a direct question was posed to the police by a member of the press on its apparent silence on the issues raised by a number of whistleblowers within the Force. The Force, just after 20:00hrs on Friday, then issued a statement saying that the matters are under investigation by the Police Office of Professional Responsibility.
However, the whistleblowers, according to previous media reports, have stated that they were more comfortable with a probe into the allegations being done by external sources as against agents of the Force, for fear that the investigation would be compromised.
Over the last few weeks, police ranks have been engaging media operatives, whereby they have been detailing alleged corrupt practices by their colleagues who have been allegedly receiving protection from very senior police officers within the Guyana Police Force.
The matters range from the re-issuing of a weapon to a policeman who was reprimanded and removed from front-line duty after he had an ongoing matter involving a firearm, but managed to be sent back to front-line duties and re-issued a weapon despite his ongoing investigation.
Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo has indicated that he is willing to meet with President David Granger at “any time, and, on a daily basis,” if necessary, to address the appointment of a new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
In a letter sent to Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon yesterday, former opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira indicated that Jagdeo is prepared to meet in keeping with the ruling made by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on June 18th and following the announcement that Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson has stepped down as Chairman of the GECOM.
Two things stand out with regards to the PPP's electoral pronouncements. The first is that instead of these pronouncements being made by the presidential candidate, Irfaan Ali, they are being made by the party's General Secretary, Bharat Jagdeo. This reinforces speculations that if he ever becomes president, Ali would be a puppet being manipulated by Jagdeo. Secondly Jagdeo keeps making lofty promises but the reality is that in 23 years in power the PPP never even thought about or acted on such measures so on what basis is Jagdeo now to be believed especially since the nation is seeing and being affected by the chasmic disconnect between what the APNU/AFC said on the campaign trail and what they are actually doing in government?
The ruling politicians, including President Granger, have announced a Cabinet decision to remove imprisonment on conviction of 30 grams or less of ganja. The deception inherent in that action, in the opinion of this columnist, makes this regime the world’s most deceitful, lying, and twisted administration in the entire world.
Freddie Kissoon
But there is a positive dimension to this sickening skullduggery. We are in an election season and every major opposition party should use this perverted announcement by a jaded, faded regime, clinging on for dear life, as a campaign issue. All opposition parties should go to every nook and cranny of this vast country to expose the horrible mentality of rulers who are bent on fooling people in the most insane way just to get their votes.
First, the Cabinet decision is asininity on display. Cabinet cannot change a law. Only the part of the state that is known as the legislature can do so at a statutory meeting of Parliament where official voting takes place to pass a Bill into law. The demagogues that perambulated Guyana telling citizens that Cabinet approved changes in the anti-narcotics law are fiction-writers. The law stands until Parliament amends it.
Representatives of President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, will meet at 5pm today at Castellani House to discuss nominations for the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
A release from the Ministry of the Presidency today said that this meeting follows last Thursday’s meeting between President Granger and Jagdeo at the Ministry of the Presidency where the means of selecting a new Chairman of the Elections Commission was discussed
