The Prime Minister is wrong. Alleging political influence in any similar investigation is not "an attack on the independence and professionalism of the Police or the Judiciary" for the simple reason that a judicial authorization of a police-initiated process cannot and does not disprove or remove political intent behind the probe, nor does it guarantee neutrality.
A judge is not a mind reader capable of knowing what truly motivates the law enforcement officer requesting the order. And because the authorization is the first step in the process, it cannot and certainly does not sanitize the ensuing investigation.
At that early point, the process is only as objective as the unchallenged, unverified, sometimes concocted information presented by law enforcement to the court - conveniently done in the absolute absence of the targeted individuals.
Because the authorization is requested ex parte, it hinges entirely on the raw honesty and integrity of the specific police officer presenting the case. But honesty and integrity - as proven every single day inside and outside courtrooms and police stations throughout Trinidad and Tobago - cannot be legislated. They continue to be both illusive and elusive ideals. We can only hope they exist to warrant the confidence and trust the Prime Minister calls upon us to have in those institutions, and that officeholders - whether police officer, JP, magistrate or judge - will demonstrate the objectivity, neutrality, and professionalism expected of them.
In the final analysis, the true independence of any office lies in the fairness of its decisions. That fairness is anchored solely in the backbone, mindset and strength of character of the officeholder, not in some hollow constitutional guarantee printed in a book that at times is not even worth the paper it is printed on.
Corruption is not essential to subverting the Constitution; simple compliance is. Neither the police officer nor the judicial official has to be corrupt to allow their respective offices to become rubber stamps for government bad-mind or any other political agenda that violates the separation of powers. Both can be perfectly honest and upright - as I am sure many are. However, spinelessness, paralysis and compliance toward those who hold the power to appoint, disappoint, pressure and ultimately dismiss them can lead to the very subversion the Constitution is designed to prevent, even when following the letter of the law.
Doubting the bona fides of something that smells fishy is NOT an "attack on our institutions" as the Prime Minister would like us to believe. Neither is demanding accountability; one is a democratic right the other a moral obligation. When the public questions the motives behind a high-profile investigation, we are not undermining the Police or the Judiciary; we are defending those institutions from the political rot that is no stranger to the UNC or the PNM. The Prime Minister's words are nothing more than a transparent attempt to shield her government from scrutiny.
If we swallow the Prime Minister's toxic premise that law enforcement and the judiciary are above suspicion simply because one wields a state issued firearm, and the other wears a wig and a robe, we invite the compliant, the cowardly as well as the ill intentioned and the corrupt to subtly dismantle our democracy from within - all while hiding behind the constitutional shield of a court order.
Our Blog Opinions Are 100% human-written. They Are Not AI-Generated Or AI Refined. AI Input Is Limited To Historical Research & Data. Click Here For AI Detection