…says its a waste of time, money
Former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has called the special Commission of Inquiry (COI) into an alleged assassination plot against the President as nothing but a waste of time, money and is in fact being used as a charade to sully the reputations of members of the Guyana Police Force.
The Opposition Leader made the charges today as he engaged members of the media at his Church Street Office where he denigrated what he described as an approach to demoralise the ranks of the Police Force at a time when the country faces its biggest security threat in the form of the prison unrest, breaks, and conflagration.
He said the President has instead opted for a public inquiry “into a so called assassination plot at a time when we are facing the most serious threat to law and order in our country ever…what they are doing in this public process will destroy morale of the police force.”
He surmised that it is the same ranks that are currently being denigrated at the COI that will have to go out into the streets to recapture the prisoners.
Jagdeo also suggested that the COI should not be a priority for the upper echelons of the Guyana Police Force including the Commissioner and Crime Chief.
“This is the priority at this time?,” Jagdeo questioned of the administration “when these people should be busy planning the recapture of the prisoners.”
Jagdeo told media operatives if the President was not satisfied with the investigation he could have simply ordered a new investigation with a new team rather than expend millions more on a COI.
He used the occasion to also question the motive behind the COI and its implication in the future when it comes time for promotion.
The Opposition Leader suggested that the COI will damage the reputations of several good officers and this entire affair could be used against them, against any future promotions.
He questioned repeatedly “why the charade if is not to humiliate the people.”
Speaking in his capacity as Opposition Leader, Jagdeo posited that“this government has a fondness for COI’s” adding that “we have had too many at great cost and expense to the tax payers.”
Jagdeo dismissed the plethora of COI’s as merely a “show in the face of no policy or clear policy to take the country forward in the face of severe incompetence…its one way of creating the impression that they are seriously addressing matters and that they are doing something.”
Head of State, President David Granger ordered the COI at the end of last month following reports of an alleged plot to kill him.
The matter was originally investigated by ranks of the Guyana Police Force but in announcing the COI, State Minister, Joseph Harmon told media operatives, “any plot or attempt to cause harm to His Excellency must be something that is in the public interest. So it is not a matter of not having confidence in any particular entity but it is the right of the President to determine if he requires any deeper level of inquiry into any matter.”
Since its commencement the Police Force has come under the microscope in order to decipher whether the law enforcement agency did sufficient investigations into the allegations and threats to assassinate the President of the day, to ascertain if the Police had knowledge of the plot before, and what actions were taken after the receipt of that information.
Moreover, the CoI is seeking to establish whether there was neglect or omission to thoroughly investigate the plot to assassinate the President and determine whether such failure or omission was intentional.
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