Opposition wants full debate on Erla imbroglio

OPPOSITION whip David Lee warned that Government’s proposed appointments of DCP Junior Benjamin to become acting Commissioner of Police (CoP), and ACP Curt Simon to be acting deputy commissioner (DCP), seem to be set for an indefinite period of time.

He shared his concerns with Newsday on February 4, the day before the House sits to debate two motions, arising due to the current absence from office of CoP Erla Harewood-Christopher.

Lee also hoped MPs would be allowed to fully debate the circumstances leading to the need to appoint an acting CoP and DCP, beyond just these two officers’ merits.

However Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds told Newsday he could not say if a full debate would take place.

“I can’t predict. Let every member represent his constituency as he or she sees fit. It really is difficult to anticipate.

“I know what I and the PNM would do. We will conduct the business of the Parliament with the dignity, decorum and public interest that we have been doing since 1956, when we went into the Legislative Council and continue to do so until this very day.”

On January 31, DCP Suzette Martin and Benjamin led a media conference by senior police officers saying an active investigation was underway in liaison with the Office of the DPP into the import of two high-powered sniper rifles for the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) involving possible misbehaviour in public office by a senior police official.

After 48 hours of detention for questioning, the CoP was released.

When the House sits at 1.30 pm today, the Prime Minister will move two motions, respectively in support of Benjamin and Simon.

Each motion says the President issued a notification of the nomination on January 31, and whereas it is expedient to approve the notification, be it resolved the notification to act in the office of CoP/DCP be approved. Notably the motions do not list a start nor an end date of the acting term of Benjamin and Simon.

Lee told Newsday he hoped for a “full and open” debate in the House on the recent occurrences.

“We hope the debate is not restricted to reading out the CVs of DCP Benjamin and ACP Simon. If it is one time that there should be some leeway exercised in Parliament, it should be in the debate tomorrow.”

Lee said in such debates in the past, MPs had been restricted to just debating the resume of the proposed appointees.

“Given what has happened and the lack of transparency and knowledge, and given that the country wants to find out or get some sort of information, we are hoping Parliament allows some flexibility to have a full-some debate on these appointments and how these appointments were arrived at, given we have a substantive CoP in Erla Harewood-Christopher.”

Newsday asked if Government has used an up-to-date order of merit list to source an acting CoP and acting DCP.

Lee said, “We have not see the most recent order of merit list and what is being utilised by this present chairman of the PSC.

“So even that, we lack the information. Maybe the Government is aware of that information, but the Opposition is not.”

Newsday asked if the merit list had been inherited by the PSC from its former chairman retired Justice Judith Jones.

Lee replied, “That is a good point. The last time we had some appointments was back in February or March 2024, I think, where they had these three permanent DCPs being appointed: Benjamin, Martin and Natasha George.

“It was based on that merit list that these appointments were made. We are asking for a full debate. We don’t have the merit list they have been using. If it is the old Judith Jones merit list, then that should be made public.” Lee said the PSC has a new chairmen in the person of Dr Wendell Wallace, so he has his own mind.

“And these are entirely new commissioners.”