President should seek unbribable Ministers – Jagdeo

…says Granger’s comment on Top Cop search disparages losing candidates

The search for a substantive Commissioner of Police continues, as President David Granger has said he is seeking someone who is un-bribable.
This publicly-expressed characterisation is, however, not sitting well with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who feels that the comment will leave room for judgment to be passed on the unselected candidates. On Thursday at his weekly press conference, he had this to say:
“The first thought that crossed my head is that he’s (Granger’s) taking a very long time to find an un-bribable commissioner. What is he saying about the candidates who are there? In a way, it’s disparaging to the people there; and whoever he selects, people will feel that the other candidates were bribable, that’s why they were not selected.”
Jagdeo opined that the Head of State should really be applying the “un-bribable” requirement to members of his own Cabinet.
“If the President had applied this same criterion to his Cabinet, he might not have a Cabinet today. He should focus on un-bribable ministers; but, again, this is another lame excuse on the part of the President for the long delay that we have seen in appointing a substantive Commissioner of Police,” the Opposition Leader pointed out.
Last week, President Granger told members of the media that among the qualities the new Police Commissioner should possess are integrity, intelligence and impartiality. Article 211 (1) of the Constitution vests the President with the authority to appoint the Commissioner of Police and every Deputy Commissioner of Police; but only after “meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition, and (with) the Chairperson of the Police Service Commission, after (that) Chairperson has consulted with the other members of the Commission.”
Now that the Police Service Commission has been reconstituted, President Granger had promised the process will move forward.
He has also noted that he has already spoken with the Chairman of the new Police Service Commission, Paul Slowe, on the matter.
“He has just been sworn in, so he has to now meet with his colleagues of the Police Service Commission and review the potential candidates before he can consult with me.
I told him that I am ready at any time, because such [appointments] are prohibited from proceeding without the consultations,” the President said recently.
PSC Chairman Paul Slowe has said he would be consulting with his fellow Commission members before approaching the President with any recommendation for an official Top Cop.
He, however, noted that the PSC would be looking for a competent candidate, one who can earn respect not only within the Force, but outside as well.
Former Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud went into pre-retirement leave back in February, and officially retired two months later. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Administration, David Ramnarine, has since been acting in the post.
He and seven other Assistant Commissioners have each been interviewed for the post.
The other ACPs are: Crime Chief Paul Williams; ACP – Operations, Clifton Hicken; Force’s Finance Officer, Nigel Hoppie; ‘A’ Division Commander (ag), Leslie James; substantive ‘A’ Division Commander Marlon Chapman, who is currently on leave; ‘B’ Division Commander Lyndon Alves; and, for the first time ever, a female contender in ACP-Administration II, Maxine Graham.