Covid cops the ones who deserve medals

THE EDITOR: The Opposition Leader agreeing that Stephen Williams and James Philbert are deserving of national awards, not based on performance, success, or achievement, but rather on length of service, sums up why our country is in its present dilemma.

Some leaders see it fit to appoint, reward and award individuals not based on competence or track record, but simply on years of service, or who may be closely affiliated to those in high office.

This implies that one could stand in the same spot, do nothing for decades, and still be rewarded solely for longevity and seniority. However, that is her choice, and it should come as no surprise.

Recall that Dwayne Gibbs, who introduced 21st-century policing to the TTPS and earned the highest points in the CoP assessment conducted by international experts – defeating the same Williams – was dismissed by the previous prime minister. She chose instead to impose Williams on us, a reflection of her preference and standard.

It is also important to remember that she refused to vote for me as commissioner of police, despite the fact that I had scored higher than all other candidates, including Williams, achieving an assessment score of 82 per cent. The assessment was also done by international experts.

The previous prime minister also abstained from voting for my nomination, but was excited to vote for Erla Harewood-Christopher when her name came up in Parliament.

It seems that Williams and Harewood-Christopher represent the type of commissioner of police she prefers over individuals like Gibbs and Gary Griffith, and if given the opportunity to be prime minister again, this sends the signal that we may get another commissioner similar to them.

Other areas pertaining to national security may also be affected if governments fail to appoint individuals based on talent, qualification and expertise, as, for example, the selection of someone to lead our intelligence agency

Ultimately, we just have different standards and measure performance differently, and that is fine, as we all have the freedom of choice. However, while seniority seems to be the primary criterion for the UNC when it comes to CoP, as political leader of the NTA I want to assure the public that our selection of a commissioner will be based on the assessment by international experts and will be driven by competence and track record.

And with the expectancy of the "Hate Gary fan club" rushing in to criticise me for these comments – no, I don't need a medal. I have already received five medals for serving my country that I carry proudly and that varies from being one of the youngest military officers who served our country during the attempted coup, to being the first TT soldier to return home with a United Nations Peacekeeping Medal, to serving my country in the military for over a decade of unblemished service.

And furthermore, I would never accept any national medal while serving as a police commissioner unless the families of those 31 officers who lost their lives due to covid19, while serving our country, are recognised and compensated, as well as a national medal being awarded to every police officer who served our country with the utmost degree of honour, professionalism and dignity during that same period.

They are the ones who deserve it.

GARY GRIFFITH

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