Minister Ramjattan should recall Dookie-anything less-makes him part of the conspiracy

May 28, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
The decision by acting Minister of Public Security (Winston Felix) to send beleaguered former SWAT head, Motie Dookie, home is ominous, not only for the GPF but for Guyana as a whole.
Slowly, but surely, we seem to be meandering down to the dark pathways of the past. Is the Coalition taking us back to the Burnham era where the victimization of Indian people was rampant? I could remember a police sergeant, one Roy Shamlall, was dismissed by Commissioner of Police, Lloyd Barker, because it made Barker as Commissioner happy. Yes! He was dismissed “at the Commissioner’s pleasure”. Unbelievable! Are we going back there?
The Police Service Commission was instituted to stop Government from directly interfering in the dispensation of justice in the Police Force, to avoid us from becoming a police state.
Surely! Felix, being a former Commissioner of Police would be aware of that.
Nevertheless, being seated in the Chair of the Minister of Public Security for a few days, he felt empowered to order the sending home of Motie Dookie, a Deputy Superintendent of police of Indian descent for his transgression while two other notable officers, Lonsdale Withrite and Wayne Dehearte, officers of African descent who also have transgressions in conduct, waiting on the PSC to be resolved are not being sent home.
While the cases of the three men are not comparable, the fact that a transgression is a transgression remains, and there was an established constitutional body to deal with these circumstances. Felix knows that!
This is not the first sign that the coalition seemed intent on taking us back to the dark pathways of the past. President Granger opened the door when he stopped the PSC from promoting senior ranks last year. The life of that commission having expired, the Government has not initiated any steps to have a new commission.
The President, is insisting that the acting positions of the CJ and Chancellor of the Judiciary, which has been in that mode for years, be made substantive; as if it is part of his life support system. He completely ignores the need for a new Police service Commission.
This does not auger well for the future- it seems we are on the road to a police state where the Government will direct the DPP on whom to prosecute, through its manipulation of the GPF. It is believed the seeds for that have already been sown in the Singh and Brassington case.
Felix said that acting Commissioner of Police, Ramnarine should have dealt with the matter instead of “IT” reaching this stage and landing on the lap of Minister Ramjattan.
IT, speaks of one. It should be noted that Felix never suggested that Ramnarine should have dealt with all the pending officers’ matters. He just wanted him to deal with Dookie.
Incidentally, it seems that Dookie’s matter was the only correspondence on Ramjattan’s desk that could not wait for Ramjattan’s to return. If this is not victimization with racial overtures then what is?
Ramjattan’s response was akin to a double edge sword. While he felt that Dookie should still be on the job, he also felt that Felix, by ordering Dookie to be sent home, did his duty.
Ramjattan created his own entrapment by commenting that Ramnarine as acting commissioner had promoted police ranks and when Seelall returned he had rescinded those promotions.
If he felt that Dookie should be on the job and the minister acting in his capacity sent him home. Now that he is back, he should recall Dookie- it’s the same procedure he supported-just at a higher level.
Anything less from Ramjattan will implicate him as part of the conspiracy to send Dookie home.
Citizen

Editor’s note: Minister Ramjattan said that when the substantive commissioner attempted to reverse he decisions by Ramnarine, he intervened and the promotions stood. He maintained that the acting Commissioner was not a rubber stamp.

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