Cocoa in the sun, or fear of the unknown?

THE EDITOR: Politicians, interest groups, and good citizens tend to leave me uneasy. I am never sure who is sincere or Machiavellian. Indeed, I am always waiting for people who easily object or protest to make their point.

I wonder what is behind the reluctance of certain individuals to support Gary Griffith as the next Police Commissioner. While I confess that Griffith at times left me wondering, I must say my doubts were short-lived – short-lived because crime, I know, cannot be addressed by the fainthearted, egomaniac, clueless, or incompetent. It requires teamwork which involves the Cabinet and Parliament, other national security agencies, the judiciary and practising lawyers, and even us citizens.

As I see it, Griffith’s profile makes him eligible. Some people say he is not suitable because he is a politician. The point is that we are all politicians in our own right because of the following:

1. We all should know what is going on around us.

2. We all should have a say in what happens in the society, because we all live side by side with one another, and it would not be ethical if we leave others out.

3. We all can make decisions that may affect the interest and lives of others.

I hold no brief for Gary Griffith but is it that we should be blinded by bias, ad hominem, cocoa in the sun, or fear of the unknown? What is wrong with Griffith? Of course, if there is someone better than he, then that person must be appointed.

RAYMOND S HACKETT, Curepe