Griffith as defender of the public interest

THE EDITOR: With the unfolding stories surrounding the DSS raids which started in September, it is easy to find oneself asking whether some sections of the population genuinely want a tough-as-nails Commissioner of Police – and Police Service.

It appears the stories now being spun, or outright misunderstood, are that Commissioner Gary Griffith is acting against the underprivileged and fails to understand the hardship families are facing, particularly because of the harsh impact of the coronavirus.

I have also seen attempts to question whether his approach is different when dealing with people of higher incomes from particular communities.

Yet no one has taken note of the fact of the commissioner remains unflinching in his public duty. Given emerging stories in political circles, both party and executive, there has been a dastardly attempt to hide issues rather than answer them honestly.

One might go so far as to say that Griffith is one of the few public office holders we have left who will not be deterred from his public duty.

The flip side is worth considering. What if Griffith saw a large crowd of people, all of whom are under some form of financial and socio-economic strain, and backs off saying, “…well, man have to eat?”

Such allowances open the floodgates for bending rules, subverting processes and, eventually, flying in the face of the laws of the country.

We have had numerous examples in the past of different cons people use, especially in hard times, promising people big rewards. The end result is, usually, the person with the money disappears and the only recourse for the victims whose savings were stolen is to file a lawsuit. And that’s if they can actually find the mastermind behind the theft.

For goodness sake, even CL Financial flew in the face of proper business practice and because it failed to restrain its transactions, billions were lost. It took years for people to retrieve a fraction of what they lost.

We want good people in public office and then we hound them out when they do their job properly. It’s a vicious irony to see how some journalists cower when the Government speaks, and are gun-shy with criticisms against ministers.

Perhaps the current situation with DSS, and the remarkably unthinkable criticism of Griffith, who is in fact working to protect all citizens from potential scams, is pointing us to a need for some very deep reflection. Each and every one of us must give thought to what kind of country we really want. What is the need for rules, procedures and laws if everyone feels entitled to “a lil bligh?”

KIENCE JOSEPH

via e-mail