Ramdeen: Who is it that the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force is protecting?
Brigadier General Rodney Smart cannot continue in office as the Chief of Defence Staff after the shocking revelation today by the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force in the matter of the how children of the Attorney General came to be in possession of high powered weapons at the Camp Cumuto Army Base.
It was under the hand of Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier General Rodney Smart that the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force stated in a letter dated the 5th April 2017 that:
“It was established that the former Chief of Defence Staff Major General Kenrick Maharaj acting on his own volition authorised the range practice,” whereby children of the Attorney General, Faris Al-Rawi came into possession of high-powered weapons belonging to the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force on the Cumuto Army Base”
In June of this year Major General Maharaj answered these allegations and stated,
“I did not authorise the range practice at Cumuto Barracks in October 2015 attended by the AG Al-Rawi and his family nor did I invite the AG to any military base to attend any range firing activity on 31 October 2015 or at any other time during my tour of duty as Chief of Defence Staff. I did not have any communications with the AG on this matter at any time.”
Immediately after making this statement Major General Kenrick Maharaj himself applied under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act for the disclosure of the Board of Inquiry Report.
Today in an alarming turn of events the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force in answer to the request of the Report by Major General Maharaj stated,
“The record of the proceedings of the Board of Inquiry did not name you, Major General Kenrick Maharaj, nor did it state that you had any knowledge of the subject range practice and or that you granted approval for same to be conducted.”
Upon what basis could Brigadier General Rodney Smart have signed this letter making such serious and damaging allegations against the man who he succeeded in office? He has a public duty to disclose to the people of this country who drafted the letter of the 25th April 2017, whose Counsel was sought before that letter was signed and what steps did he take before signing the letter to verify the contents as being true, correct and accurate.
Having regard to the contents of the letter of the 25th April 2017 the Trinidad and Tobago Defence force has now offered an empty ex post facto apology to Major General Maharaj saying:
“The Defence Force sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience and or embarrassment caused to you by the aforementioned.”
Who is it that the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force is protecting?
Who is it that gave the instructions through the chain of command for the range practice to be conducted?
Why is it that the Trinidad and Tobago Defence force is determined to keep secret the answers to these questions and would make serious, damaging and untrue statements against a former Chief of Defence Staff in order to carry out their sinister agenda?
Under the Defence Act the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force has the duty to protect Trinidad and Tobago.
After the revelations today, we can now add the institution of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force to the Judiciary, the Integrity Commission and the Police Service as the institutions that have now been compromised under this Rowley-led government.