The People's National Party (PNP) and the Daily Observer are clearly in agreement that Opposition members of parliament (MPs) were completely out of order to have tried to gain political mileage out of crime -- the scourge of every Jamaican regardless of political opinion -- when the police commissioner was summoned to appear before a select committee.
When Police Commissioner Dr Carl Williams' appeared on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, PNP parliamentarians warned that to discuss police crime strategy before the media might well betray crime-fighting strategies to the criminal element, therefore reducing the efforts to combat the scourge. Incredibly, Opposition spokesperson on national security Derrick Smith, chair of the Internal and External Affairs Committee, who used his position to force the commissioner to appear, then led the charge yesterday to allow the media and public to remain for a part of Dr Williams' presentation. I quote from the Observer editorial, which said in part: "As we feared, the presence of the top cop at the committee meeting yesterday turned out to be another big occasion for our parliamentarians to keep this country divided on a matter as critical as crime-fighting.
"We have Mr (Derrick) Smith to thank for the fight over whether to have the commissioner answer questions openly in the presence of the media or to speak in-camera, where sensitive information would not be exposed to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Thankfully, the forces of reason prevailed and the questions posed to the commissioner were answered in-camera.
"As we said last week, Mr Smith should know that any decision to bring the police chief to Parliament should have the agreement of both sides of the House in order to avoid the appearance of politically partisan motives, 'worse in a time when it is very obvious that the parties are on the election campaign trail'..."
It continued: "We are not fooled by Mr Smith's pretence at innocence in telling yesterday's meeting that the commissioner would not have to answer openly any questions that could elicit sensitive information. Why bring him there then? If he wanted non-sensitive information, he needed only to ask for a report to be sent to his committee. Furthermore, the fact that he did not want the commissioner to speak in-camera suggested ulterior motives for having him come before the committee..."
"The Westminster model, after which we pattern our parliamentary arrangements, leaves no doubt that there should be a clear line of demarcation between the politicians and the public servants. There are still politicians who don't mind winning an election even if what they preside over is scorched earth."
Were it not so serious, Smith's behaviour would be laughable. It was sad and blatant political grandstanding. In behaving thus, he managed to make futurists out of the PNP and the Observer yesterday. I also found it incredible that when, according to the story yesterday in your newspaper, MPs Mikael Phillips, Arnaldo Brown and Dr Anthony Green forced a vote on allowing the media to remain, because sensitive material was bound to be discussed, Smith actually said: "It's pure politics and the Opposition is totally against any suppression of the press."
Philip Mascoll, OD
pmascoll1948@gmail.com
Derrick Smith made futurists
of the Observer and PNP
-->
When Police Commissioner Dr Carl Williams' appeared on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, PNP parliamentarians warned that to discuss police crime strategy before the media might well betray crime-fighting strategies to the criminal element, therefore reducing the efforts to combat the scourge. Incredibly, Opposition spokesperson on national security Derrick Smith, chair of the Internal and External Affairs Committee, who used his position to force the commissioner to appear, then led the charge yesterday to allow the media and public to remain for a part of Dr Williams' presentation. I quote from the Observer editorial, which said in part: "As we feared, the presence of the top cop at the committee meeting yesterday turned out to be another big occasion for our parliamentarians to keep this country divided on a matter as critical as crime-fighting.
"We have Mr (Derrick) Smith to thank for the fight over whether to have the commissioner answer questions openly in the presence of the media or to speak in-camera, where sensitive information would not be exposed to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Thankfully, the forces of reason prevailed and the questions posed to the commissioner were answered in-camera.
"As we said last week, Mr Smith should know that any decision to bring the police chief to Parliament should have the agreement of both sides of the House in order to avoid the appearance of politically partisan motives, 'worse in a time when it is very obvious that the parties are on the election campaign trail'..."
It continued: "We are not fooled by Mr Smith's pretence at innocence in telling yesterday's meeting that the commissioner would not have to answer openly any questions that could elicit sensitive information. Why bring him there then? If he wanted non-sensitive information, he needed only to ask for a report to be sent to his committee. Furthermore, the fact that he did not want the commissioner to speak in-camera suggested ulterior motives for having him come before the committee..."
"The Westminster model, after which we pattern our parliamentary arrangements, leaves no doubt that there should be a clear line of demarcation between the politicians and the public servants. There are still politicians who don't mind winning an election even if what they preside over is scorched earth."
Were it not so serious, Smith's behaviour would be laughable. It was sad and blatant political grandstanding. In behaving thus, he managed to make futurists out of the PNP and the Observer yesterday. I also found it incredible that when, according to the story yesterday in your newspaper, MPs Mikael Phillips, Arnaldo Brown and Dr Anthony Green forced a vote on allowing the media to remain, because sensitive material was bound to be discussed, Smith actually said: "It's pure politics and the Opposition is totally against any suppression of the press."
Philip Mascoll, OD
pmascoll1948@gmail.com
Derrick Smith made futurists
of the Observer and PNP
-->