Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar must resign immediately because she is not being honest says former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC. Maharaj, in an interview yesterday, claimed from various media reports it was clear the prime minister had knowledge of the New Flying Squad Unit but continued to distance herself from it.
He said it must be recognised the Constitution prohibited a government minister from appointing anyone to do police work or using their position to influence in the appointment, suspension or dismissal of police officers."So where the prime minister or the Cabinet or a minister of government are involved in creating a police squad or a police unit it leads to a serious violation of the Constitution.
"So where we have in this case an allegation and in this case the prime minister seems to be aware of it, decided to create a squad of the Police Service unknowing to the police commissioner, that goes to the root of the Constitution," Maharaj said.He added this was also a serious threat to the rule of law.National Security Minister Jack Warner was supposed to make a full statement in Parliament last Friday about the existence of the revamped unit but was pre-empted by Persad-Bissessar.
Speaking at Piarco International Airport on her return from Haiti on Thursday night, the prime minister said she asked the minister to provide a "complete report" to her and to the National Security Council (NSC) on the issue.Persad-Bissessar said pending that report, it would be inappropriate for Warner to make any statement on the issue.
On plans again mentioned by Persad-Bissessar to precept soldiers with full powers as that of police officers, Maharaj said, "What then happens is the army being the direction of the political directorate would be able to direct police officers under the guise of army members to do police operational work."