The law must take its course

Since the 1990 coup attempt, Bakr and his Muslimeen group have gained the reputation as untouchables in the society. The fact that a man and 114 followers could walk free after committing multiple murders, treason and extensive property damage sent a destructive signal to both criminal elements and law-abiding citizens. In the following years, many of the youthful insurgents met a harsher justice than any meted out by legitimate society, but Bakr himself seemed an unofficial leader on par with the country’s Prime Ministers. One granted him a meeting within weeks of assuming office, the other declared Bakr had paid his debt to society. State institutions gave him special passes, while he was regularly hailed as a grassroots leader at events organised by Afrocentrist organisations. And, in the midst of all this apparent wooing, Muslimeen members continued to be implicated in all kinds of nefarious activities.

So charging Bakr with using threatening language, inciting violence, and sedition shows that the forces of law and order, at least, are not afraid of this man. But now Police Commissioner Trevor Paul and Director of Public Prosecutions Geoffrey Henderson have an important task on their hands. The law must be allowed to take its course and, just as importantly, must be seen to be taking its course impartially and without interference.

It is a certainty that all kinds of rumours are going to start flying, and that many of these rumours will be about powerful persons trying to get Bakr freed. Indeed, Bakr’s supporters have already begun trying to spin the statement that led to him being charged — some flatly denying he ever made it (despite his words being electronically recorded), and one Black Muslim spokesman, who is funded by a US Islamic organisation, claiming that Bakr was just speaking generally about bloodshed that comes from the conditions of poverty.

So there is a public relations task ahead, as well as a legal and a security one, for all involved in this issue. The police officers who arrested Bakr already began on the wrong foot by allowing the Muslimeen leader to drive to the police station, letting him keep his cell-phone, and not putting him in a cell. This preferential treatment must not occur again, not least because it makes it seem as though the police officers involved are intimidated by Bakr. But it is Commissioner Paul and Mr Henderson, in particular, who must avoid putting themselves in any situation where influential individuals may be seen as putting pressure on them. They cannot have meetings about this issue — or, indeed, on unrelated matters — with certain persons without ensuring that their conversations are recorded. This will be for their own protection as well as that of the persons they meet. The judiciary must also ensure that Bakr gets a fair trial and that his past activities do not influence the outcome more than is legally allowed. And, naturally, the police must monitor even more closely the activities of the Jamaat al Muslimeen’s members, who may want to use the situation as an excuse to retaliate for "Muslims" being attacked.

Once all these things are properly done, Bakr’s arrest can be seen as a major step in building back law and order in our society.