A letter to the Editor under the caption “The PLP is making Commissioner Greenslade look weak” by the Whistleblower was, in my opinion, in reference to certain criticisms levelled at The RBPF and its Commissioner by the Prime Minister on a number of occasions recently.
I beg to differ with the writer that it made the Commissioner look weak, indeed it is the other way around. The composure and self-discipline of the Commissioner in the face of those unwarranted criticisms from the leader of The Government tend to show the strength of the man that heads our police force.
The fact that he chose to ignore them altogether, spells volumes for his character. If memory serves me right, it was no lesser person than the Minister of National Security that came out in defence of the RBPF and its Commissioner and publicly declared that he, Minister of National security had full confidence in the Force and its Commissioner.
The minister’s statement and Greenslade’s adherence to the age old adage: “Where ignorance is bliss ’tis folly to be wise” made the PM look ill-informed.
When the former Prime Minister, one Hubert A Ingraham, characteristically changed the Constitution and put a five-year limit on the tenure of the Commissioner of Police, that amendment was not worth the paper it was written on as it was ultra virus the Constitution and therefore unlawful and unenforceable.
Christie, as a trained lawyer, knew that the amendment was unlawful and therefore had it revoked.
I know of two Commissioners of Police who had defied the political status quo in this nation. One was made to face a humiliating and embarrassing Enquiry (by a UBP administration) and the other voluntarily resigned in order to avoid a brutal victimisation of the organisation by the government (PLP).
The Whistleblower must bear in mind that the PLP under Lynden Oscar Pindling was the architect and executioner of reverse racism and victimisation in this nation and since his (Pindling’s) demise, we have only his two protégés to deal with, hence continuous PLP administrations for the past 47 years, leaders with different names and faces; but the same old modus operandi.
If Whistleblower would have taken the time to assess the scenario of Ingraham sending Greenslade and Dames to Canada to take a course that they both needed like a hole in their heads, he would have seen that Ingraham had an agenda at that particular time and needed a man at the head of the police force who would be able to achieve that agenda without question.
Greenslade nor Dames were suitable for that agenda, then who was best suited to achieve his intended agenda than a very close relative of his, Ingraham’s, self appointed chairman of the FNM?
Christie has his own agenda for publicly criticising the RBPF and its leader. As Prime Minister of this nation, he, Christie should be cognisant of the fact that the RBPF and its leadership is charged with the responsibility for the safety of all citizens of this archipelago, including him and to criticise them in so demeaning, derogatory and demoralising manner is deploring and unbecoming of a national leader.
It was unprovoked, uncalled for and totally unnecessary as they bear responsibility for his safety at all times.
A public apology to the Commissioner and his hardworking men and women for such gross disrespect is a matter of urgency.
As public officers members of the force have the constitutional right as all other citizens to vote for the party or candidate of their choice and should not allow politicians to coerce, influence threaten or in any manner corruptly influence them to support a particular candidate or party.
The mere suggestion that Commissioner Greenslade is weak spells volumes for the writer’s ignorance in his knowledge of the man and/or his character.
Mr Whistleblower you are mistakenly taking his tolerance for a sign of weakness; but I can assure you, sir, that your assessment of the man is nothing more than an elusive hallucination.
The minister of National Security and the second son of the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s first fingerprint expert and photographer (BJ Nottage, Sr) must be congratulated for his stand in publicly acknowledging his confidence and support for the RBPF and its leadership, instead of following others in denigrating and demoralising the hardworking men and women of the one organisation that is responsible for our safety and protection.
By: Errington Watkins
