Two streams of justice

We should be encouraged at the speed with which the Director of Public Prosecutions Mr Geoffrey Henderson, has responded to the police with respect to whether or not Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley should be charged for allegedly assaulting UNC Opposition member Mr Chandresh Sharma in the tearoom of Parliament in September. The DPP’s office has not been known for swiftness in dealing with matters of far more serious consequence. In fact quite the opposite is the case and the office has been known to drag its feet on matters of serious public concern such as the police shooting of unarmed civilians — the extra judicial killings that are occurring with frightening regularity.

Between the DPP’s office and the police, investigations of these incidents seem to move at snail’s pace. As a result, more and more people are convinced that in this country there are two streams of justice — one for the powerful and influential. Another for the rest of us, people like Galene Bonadie, who was shot to death by police in Morvant and Sherman Monsegue, a teenager shot dead by the police in Carenage, to mention just two. The list of families waiting to hear what really happened to their relatives who were either killed or harassed and abused by the police is long and frustrating to those who wait for justice.

Yet, in the case of the assault complaint made against Dr Rowley by Mr Sharma, the DPP is able to study and conclude and instruct the police in a very short time that no charge should be laid against Dr Rowley, throwing the matter back to Parliament and washing his hands of the whole affair. In addition, his memo to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Trevor Paul, falls into the hands of reporters of the three daily newspapers in the middle of the long Divali-Eid weekend. Were the principals involved informed? It appears that certainly Mr Sharma did not know, leading him to conclude that there is no justice for the UNC. Particularly when week after week he sees the homes of UNC supporters and even that of a former minister raided by the police. And how does the DPP’s memorandum sit with the current inquiry being conducted by the Parliamentary Privileges Committee?

Following complaints from both Rowley and Sharma, Speaker Barry Sinanan in announcing that he was sending the matter to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee, made it clear that he would move expeditiously to deal with such a serious matter. As far as we are aware this has been done and we expect the committee’s report and recommendations, if any, to be laid in Parliament very soon. Why then was the DPP’s office, uncharacteristically, in such a rush to instruct the police commissioner not to charge Rowley, when in other far more serious matters action has been so slow? Since, as he himself stated, Parliament is supreme and must see to its own affairs, why did the DPP not wait for the Parliamentary Committee to report? We find this matter very strange to say the least and need enlightenment if we are not to come to the wrong conclusions.