Baptiste-Cornelis on Nizam affair - ‘I’ve said enough’

Mohammed made his statements on March 25 before the Municipal and Service Commissions Joint Select Committee (JSC) of which Baptiste-Cornelis is a member. Responding to Mohammed on that day, Baptiste-Cornelis told him that, “if you start to classify people as East Indian or African, we are running into a problem and that is exactly as a Government what we are trying to get away from.”

At Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, Baptiste-Cornelis said: “I made my comments in a JSC, as part of a JSC and the comments I made were part of that. I don’t think I need to make any further comment again.”

Asked whether Government would be reviewing the way it recommends persons for selection to bodies such as the PSC or the boards of State Enterprises, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan assured that Government will “continue to do its best” to look for the most competent persons to serve in such positions. “Life is a learning experience,” said Rambachan. Asked if Government felt any of the remaining four PSC members — Addison Khan, Martin George, Jacqueline Cheesman and Kenneth Parker — could be a suitable replacement for Mohammed or if measures would be taken to prevent some being selected who could be perceived as “an active politician”, Rambachan said the President has acted in the instance of revoking Mohammed’s appointment and embarked on a series of consultations in accordance with Section 122 of the Constitution to find a replacement.

On Thursday, Mohammed called for the appointments of George, Cheesman and Parker to be revoked.

The trio had distanced themselves from his statements on March 25 and held a news conference on Monday, mere hours after his appointment was revoked.