Appoint, backpay Steven Williams

THE EDITOR: The debacle over this country’s inability to establish a proper mechanism for the selection and appointment of a Commissioner of Police has finally unveiled a major side issue involving the Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams.

Prof Theodore Lewis in his telling piece titled “The abuse of Stephen Williams” (Express, May 3) alerts the public to a grave injustice perpetrated against an individual who has dedicated his entire life as a career policeman. While some may disagree with a few of Lewis’ peripheral points, he clearly establishes a case of vilification, humiliation, and embarrassment towards Williams.

Prof Ramesh Deosaran (Newsday columnist) within days takes the matter to a regional level. He opines that the authorities should be ashamed for giving Williams 12 acting appointments which he described to an audience in Jamaica as a “Caribbean record-breaker.” He called on Parliament, Cabinet, former president Carmona and the Police Service Commission (PSC) to apologise to Williams.

We need to go much further than this. There is need for a special bill to be taken to Parliament giving Williams the status of the substantive position of Commissioner of Police retroactive to the date of his first acting appointment. The appointment must cover the 12 six-month periods he has acted so that his retirement package will be enhanced. This coupled with an apology is the only way this abuse can be addressed.

Williams’ stoicism has caused him to stand tall with grace and dignity in the midst of this bloodied and beleaguered situation. Perhaps there is a residue of a collective conscience somewhere amongst us that will move us in this direction despite the overwhelming indifference by the politicians and their puppets.

I feel assured that had I been given the opportunity, this situation would not have continued. But that was no to be.

NIZAM MOHAMMED
, former chairman, PSC