Manning and Panday must talk

THE EDITOR: I wish to salute the initiative taken by the MP for St Augustine, Mr Winston Dookeran in inviting a dialogue between the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition on the issue of the Police Reform Bills. It is disappointing to observe the wrangling taking place between Government and Opposition on such an important issue. The country is in the midst of a crisis where there must be or ought to be compromise between Government and Opposition. This is not the time for our leaders to be playing the game of tit for tat, while the country is run over by criminals. The Leader of the Opposition may have his own views on what policies are most desirable or what means should be used so as to achieve certain ends; however, in the final analysis the interest of the nation should remain first and foremost.

Although certain clauses in the Bill may call for cautious interpretation, at the end of it all, both leaders must be able to sit down and address the issue as responsible people. It is here where the politics of compromise come into play. The leader of the Opposition, a well experienced politician, need not be reminded that officially, as leader of his party, he is considered the alternative government. Therefore, he is not expected to resort to extreme measures for the purpose of securing power. There must be consensus between Opposition and Government if the system under which we operate is to run smoothly; ever so often, on very important national issues, serious cleavages arise between government and opposition ending in stalemate to the detriment of the entire country; the present issue is a case in point.

No one will deny the wealth of experience and political wisdom of the Opposition leader. However, by his refusing to support the controversial bill, he’s playing into the hands of Patrick Manning who will be in a position to exonerate himself by pointing out the many efforts he has made to combat the crime situation with a negative response from the Opposition. At the other end of the spectrum, the police must not be exasperated by the public outburst over their lacklustre performances, but should use the condemnation as a blessing in disguise to improve on their performances. Right now you have an aggrieved and frustrated public demanding much more for their money’s worth. The police are not improving the situation when some members get involved in criminal activities to the consternation of the general public. Someone has recently remarked sarcastically: “The way how things are going at the moment, we may have to appeal to the United Nations to send down a peacekeeping force to Trinidad.” Can you imagine that!!

VICTOR ARCHIE
Trincity