Damned if do damned if you don’t
The Editor:
I definitely won’t like to be a government official in Trinidad and Tobago. To hold such an office requires that you have a back with a hard shell like a turtle. There are many letters in our daily newspapers condemning the actions and non-actions of our Prime Minister. The same has also been reciprocated to our Attorney General. While it is important to highlight things of national interest, it’s bad to disrespect office holders for no apparent reason.
For example, the Attorney General, Anand Ramlogan, said, in relation to the leaking of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) report, that the PCA “The Police Complaints Authority cannot operate “as a runaway horse” but must be guided by the law. He also stated that “it must be fair to the many hardworking and decent police officers who risk life, limb and property to protect and serve our country on” a daily basis.”
These statements came in public defense of police officers from the director of the PCA Gillian Lucky on the remit of the organization and her criticism of the Police Second Division Association. In her statements, she clearly showed her bias towards the police officers that didn’t agree with her, and yet she is the one responsible for investigating them when a complaint is made. Is that fair to police officers? No one is raising this issue.
All this stemmed from the fact that sensitive information of national security has leaked into the public domain even before the government can review it. If the Attorney General said nothing about it, he would be criticized for it. Now that he has highlighted this breach, he is being attacked from all corners.
It’s a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Derrick Johnson
via email