Equal treatment for all

Mr Williams now joins his colleague, former Works Minister Franklin Khan, as one of two PNM Cabinet members on fraud charges. Mr Khan resigned his Ministerial position even before charges were laid against him, and there can be no doubt that Mr Williams will have to do the same now. If he doesn’t, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who has demonstrated his seriousness in dealing with allegations of misconduct, will most likely insist that Williams do so. In his handling of these allegations, including those brought and dismissed against Housing Minister Keith Rowley, Mr Manning has set a standard which any Prime Minister who follows him will now have to meet, or face the disaffection of citizens.

Messrs Khan and Williams are the first sitting Ministers to face such charges, although four former Government Ministers from the UNC administration, including former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, are also before the courts on various charges of fraud and corrupt practices. How our courts handle these high-profile cases will be a stern test of our judicial system. How our politicians handle them will be an even sterner test of political maturity.

The Opposition’s responses to the Dhansook affair have so far been quite vacuous. After railing for weeks about Mr Williams not being charged, even going to the depth of claiming that there was a racial motive involved, the UNC now says it is not surprised that a warrant has been issued. But, if they are so unsurprised, why all the allegations of impropriety? The fact is, the charges brought against Mr Williams completely undermine all these allegations, especially in respect to their continual accusations of political favouritism on the part of the Police and Director of Public Prosecutions Geoffrey Henderson.

Additionally, the Opposition cannot use the cases against Khan and Williams to get any real political advantage since, when it comes to allegations of corruption in public office, the UNC is in a far more invidious position than the PNM. This is not mainly because there are more UNC members to come before the courts, but because the handling by the two parties of corruption allegations has been quite different — Mr Panday snarling at reporters to carry evidence to the Police, Mr Manning quietly passing on relevant documents to the Fraud Squad for investigation. That has helped Mr Manning contain the political damage the PNM will suffer because of these charges.

And what about Trinidad and Tobago as a whole? With Government Ministers past and present accused of corruption, it is no wonder than this country’s Corruption Perception Index, as measured by Transparency International, is in the lower third and has worsened between 2004 and 2005. But we expect that the country’s rating should eventually improve.