Daly to President Weekes: Do the right thing on PSC collapse

SENIOR Counsel Martin Daly is calling on the President to “do the right thing,” and not remain silent on the apparent act of interference that precipitated the total collapse of the Police Service Commission (PSC).

Last week’s collapse came after the PSC's three members and its chairman Bliss Seepersad, resigned over its handling of the appointment and suspension of former police commissioner Gary Griffith.

In a statement on Wednesday, Daly was critical of the silence by President Paula-Mae Weekes and the Government’s alleged dismissal of the PSC’s collapse.

“It is not surprising that this Government, which has lost its way in a fog of authoritarianism, believes it can dismiss the collapse of the Police Service Commission as a trivial event for which it is not obliged to account," Daly said.

“However, what does the President of the Republic intend to do,” he asked.

He referred to a claim by a PSC member that on August 12, Seepersad went to President’s House and met an unnamed public official. Daly said this resulted in the PSC chairman not carrying out her duty to deliver to President Weekes an agreed list of candidates for appointment to the office of Commissioner of Police.

He said this act precipitated the PSC’s collapse.

“Her Excellency has remained silent. With respect, if she values the credibility of her office, it is not open to her to avoid accountability with reference to what allegedly happened at President’s House on August 12, 2021.

“We are entitled to hold the office of President to a higher standard than the one that currently prevails in partisan politics. Do the right thing please.

“Otherwise, if the President does follow the Government’s lead and simply proceeds with business as usual, we will soon pay for the failure of the Office of the President to fulfil its responsibility to disclose what happened on August 12 in order to unmask a constitutionally dangerous cover-up.”