Service Commissions are a disaster

I refer in particular to the most recent meeting concerning the Police Service Commission. It is regrettable that the entire proceedings were not aired on television and reported verbatim in the press.

From the little I saw and read, it was not surprising to me that members of the PSC could not answer questions put to them, and indeed, appeared to be dumbstruck most of the time. I hold no brief for Robin Montano but he was absolutely correct in placing the responsibility for the crime situation squarely on the shoulders of the Police Service Commission. I just wonder what he, as an opposition Senator, is prepared to do to bring a halt to the absurdity of what is now the Police Service Commission. Indeed, I seriously question what good would come of Dr Deosaran’s Committee, or any other intervention for that matter.

Very simply, you could cuss these people upside down and at the end, Mr Thomas and his commission will respond that, say or do what you want, they are creatures of the Constitution and are therefore responsible to no one.

Is it any wonder why we are in the mess that we are in?

I now turn to a recent newspaper article by Prof John La Guerre on the Police Service Commission under the apt headline "Culture of Non Performance." While the article is timely, incisive, and for the most part, factual, I take issue with Dr La Guerre’s contention that the PSC was "created originally by the Colonial Power and retained by the Independent Government and entrenched in the Constitution". The fact is that the so called Colonial Power had a perfectly good system governing the Police Force at the time.

It was Dr Rudrunath Capildeo who, at the Marlborough House Independence talks, demanded that the failed system of Service Commission be foisted on an unsuspecting TT population, under the absurd pretext that such Commissions would insulate the institutions from political and other interference. Dr Williams readily acquiesced in order to get Dr Capildeo’s signature on the Independence document.

To this day, politicians and others have held on to this stupidity while the nation sinks into eventual anarchy. Make no mistake, Service Commissions as we have, are a failed system from so called "protection and insulation". They are used by the most backward of nations. Even the very "Colonial Masters" abandoned them before they got started. The results or what they have done to our country are there for all to see. Service Commissions are an unmitigated disaster. They have effectively destroyed our Police Service, the Public Service and eventually, will destroy our nation. I defy any contradiction of the above statement.

Finally, I wish to pose the question to our learned political scientists, politicians and anyone who supports the Service Commissions. In this small community of ours, can you say to me what part of our lives will not suffer from political interference, or will be insulated from such?

The time has come for our country to stop the rot and rid itself of what is a National disgrace.

F A MOUTTET

Westmoorings