Fixin' T&T petitions for Nizam's removal
By Julien Neaves
Story Created: Jan 27, 2011 at 11:50 PM ECT
(Story Updated: Jan 27, 2011 at 11:50 PM ECT )
LOBBY group Fixin' T&T has an online petition to have Police Service Commission (PSC) chairman Nizam Mohammed removed from office online.
The group's head, Kirk Waithe, has also renewed calls for the other PSC members to clearly state their position on the incident involving Mohammed and two traffic police officers in December.
"We ... continue to call on commissioners Martin George, Addison Khan, Jacqueline Cheeseman, (and Kenneth Parker) to protect the integrity of the (PSC). We believe that they must make their position on this issue public. Either they support the chairman, and by so doing do not believe the integrity of the Commission had been compromised, or they don't," Waithe told the Express in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
The group eventually plans to submit the petition to President George Maxwell Richards and launched the online version, which can be accessed through
www.fixintt.com, on Wednesday.
Waithe said that the response to the petition has been good and recalled that on the day they started, he personally got more than 100 physical signatures in the first few hours. He noted that volunteers were also collecting signatures around the country.
"We anticipate a healthy response," he added.
Waithe explained they were not aiming at any particular number, but will submit the signatures they have obtained by the time they can meet with Richards. He said the group planned to write the Office of the President seeking an audience for the submission, and they were hopeful of seeing him sometime next week.
The petition highlights a confrontation Mohammed had with two Special Reserve Police officers, WPC Marlene Gittens and PC Sean Batson, on December 2 at the corner of Henry Street and Independence Square, Port of Spain.
At the time of the incident, Mohammed, who was proceeding east along Independence Square on the centre lane, attempted to turn north onto Henry Street, when he was instructed by Gittens to continue proceeding east. In her report, Gittens stated that Mohammed instead drove onto Henry Street, following which she and Batson pursued his vehicle, which got stuck in traffic, and ordered him to pull to the side.
The officers, in their reports, had made recommendations that Mohammed be charged with failing to comply with a lawful instruction and causing an unnecessary obstruction.
National Security Minister, Brigadier John Sandy, said recently that Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs had stated that, after an investigation into the incident, it was determined that no action would be taken against Mohammed or the officers, who Mohammed had accused of being rude to him. Gibbs previously told the Express the matter was closed.
However, Fixin' T&T has continued their efforts to have him Mohammed removed from his post.
"We truly believe this to be right. We're still hopeful that the PSC chairman does the honourable and morally correct thing and step down of his own accord," Waithe said.