Dumas shocked PM has not fired McDonald

Retired head of the public service Reginald Dumas says he is surprised the Prime Minister has not yet fired Public Administration Minister Marlene McDonald.

The Port of Spain South MP was arrested by police along with her common-law husband Michael Carew last Thursday morning as a part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption. McDonald's home in Maracas, St Joseph and her Port of Spain South Constituency Office were searched on Thursday and McDonald and Carew were questioned by police on Friday. Three contractors have also been held by police for questioning in relation to the allegations. Up to press time last night, no charges had been laid in the matter.

On Saturday, recalling McDonald was once fired after one of her constituents, Sea Lots activist Sean Burke, had attended her swearing-in ceremony at President's House, even though he was not on the guest list, Dumas said he could not understand the prime minister's hesitation on this occasion given the fact that she had actually been arrested by police.

He said, "On one of the occasions that the Prime Minister fired her before, she had taken Sea Lots activist and businessman Cedric "Burkie" Burke to the President's House to witness her swearing-in. It was a breach of protocol but obviously he couldn't fire her for a breach of protocol but her fired her because, as I understand it, Burke was a person of interest to the police and how could a Cabinet minister be consorting in public with a person of interest to the police?"

Dumas added: "What had happened at President's House was an error in judgement and she should not have done that. But this has gone beyond an error of judgement. This is an arrest and the police are now involved, they have arrested her."

He argued while it may be said one was innocent until proven guilty, "The fact is that I don't see how you could fire her for going around with someone whom the police find is a person of interest and not fire her after she has been arrested by the police.

"So, I am a little surprised that she has not been fired."

Dumas told Sunday Newsday the prime minister could not fire McDonald as an MP given her status as an elected representative. However, he could ask the President to revoke her appointment as a cabinet minister.

"The question is: Are we going to go on the basis of the argument that she is innocent until proven guilty or that certain post holders in the society have special responsibilities to the nation?"

Dumas said cabinet ministers, judges and permanent secretaries, for instance, had a duty to behave in certain way.

"They have to send the correct message to the rest of society and if a cabinet minister is arrested it is because the police feel there is sufficient information and evidence to justify that arrest which immediately taints the person involved."

He added: "The fact that the person subsequently may not be charged or if charged, not found guilty, to me, is not material. The fact is, as far as I am concerned, that the person has not behaved in his or her office in the way the person was expected to do in terms of the position the person holds in the society.

"And, therefore, if I were the Prime Minister, I would ask her to resign."

Dumas said Rowley might be reluctant to do so in light of the fact that McDonald was still being questioned and it might not be the best time to ask her to resign.

"That may well be so. But once she is released from police custody, he should ask her to resign. And if she does not resign, in my view, he should ask the President to revoke her appointment."

Dumas recalled a similar situation occurred in Kenya, last month, when president Uhuru Kenyatta fired Finance Minister Henry Rotich because of corruption allegations.

"The Minister of Finance of Kenya was arrested on the basis of certain information the police had pointing to corruption and he was fired by the president. He (Kenyatta) did not wait for him (Rotich) to be exonerated in court and to be found not guilty. The fact that he had been arrested for the charges was enough to cause the president to fire him and Rowley has fired Marlene McDonald for less in the past."