With the 2019 carnival season now over, it is back to the normal and usual hustle of daily living for the people of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique.
The pre-Carnival issues will not go away any time soon such as the “Cellphonegate Scandal” involving the principal figure, former government Senator Sheldon Scott, and the questionable quarter million dollars payment to a small band of 14 elite police officers who form the Security details around Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.
THE NEW TODAY anticipates that two other issues will soon become major headline grabbers in the country – the move by government to go to Parliament for money to prop up what many consider to be a failed 2019 budget and the ECLAC report which puts to rest the claim by the current rulers that Grenada is the fastest growing economy in the region when its real position is at Number 4.
The Prime Minister has virtually compromised the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) over the rather unfortunate statement made recently in response to the payment of quarter million dollars from the Treasury to the 14 elite officers involved in his Security Detail in lieu of taking their holidays to provide protection for him.
no Prime Minister worth his salt will make a public statement to the effect that he does not trust the other police officers on the island
This statement should not be taken lightly by the people of the Tri-island State as it has very serious implications for the national security of the country.
THE NEW TODAY is firmly of the view that no Prime Minister worth his salt will make a public statement to the effect that he does not trust the other police officers on the island with his safety except for the 14 who have formed a permanent battalion around him.
If a Prime Minister does not trust our police officers should he now expect John Public to trust them with very sensitive information?
The statement is embarrassing to other members of the force – especially those who are very highly skilled and can be considered to be far superior to any of the elite 14-member squad around the Prime Minister.
If a Prime Minister does not trust our police officers should he now expect John Public to trust them with very sensitive information?
The Police have often appealed to members of the public to be their ears and eyes in the community and to report to them any suspicious activities in their area.
Why would ordinary John Public risk his life to give sensitive information to the police when the Commander-in-Chief is bold enough to state publicly that he cannot afford to put his life at risk with other members of RGPF except this 14-member elite squad?
Is it any wonder that Acting Commissioner of Police, Edvin Martin has revealed that there is now a significant increase in assault on police officers by members of the public? If their boss, the Prime Minister could disrespect the police force in such a gross manner then he is clearly opening the door for John Public to show disrespect by physically assaulting them.
It would be interesting to know if the Prime Minister himself personally selected and trained these 14 men forming the elite squad and also personally gave them the responsibility to guard his life with their own lives.
This reminds us of a movie called “The Boys from Brazil” in which the President was training his own Security Force.
But what is much more important is the questionable decision that was taken to pay the 14 elite security men quarter million dollars from the Treasury in lieu of their holidays over the years.
There seems to be in existence a directive or order from the Cabinet or the Public Service Commission (PSC) to change the policy on paid holiday leave to the effect that public officers who accumulated a certain amount of leave are required to take it or forfeit it.
The PSC is known to have sent hundreds of public officers in recent years on forced leave rather than pay them for it.
So the Prime Minister as Head of the Cabinet of Ministers has a serious responsibility and duty to warn his own Cabinet colleagues against breaking the rules of engagement in the service.
Several ministers are new to the Cabinet and should be looking to Prime Minister Mitchell for guidance on important subject matters and he should not be seen as taking them down a slippery and dangerous road where law-breaking is possible at the highest level of the government.
The public should not take at face value that once there is a Cabinet Conclusion on an issue in the country that it is always lawful and legal and does not amount to a breach of the Constitution.
The Cabinet could have erred and broken the very law and order on holiday pay for public officers as was put in place by the PSC.
THE NEW TODAY would like to see a taxpayer take steps to challenge in court the decision taken by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to raid the public purse in order to financially reward these 14 elite police officers with quarter million dollars in the form of holiday pay.
A successful court ruling should mandate PM Mitchell to pay back the money himself personally as he is both the Minister of Finance and Minister of National Security.
This is a very important issue as it touches on the fundamental and significant question – who decided that the 14 elite police officers could not take any holidays due to them? Is it the Commissioner of Police or the Prime Minister himself?