Dear Editor,
During the FNM’s tenure, PLP operatives complained constantly about damages paid to abuse victims by the courts. It is therefore quite incredible that so soon after coming to office, the PLP government would come to a secret settlement with senior police officers, pay them with our money, and decline to say how much they got.
The cry used to be, “Look how our money is disappearing through the courts under the FNM!” Now, the PLP is actually settling live court cases before a ruling can be made, deciding how much of our money they want to give away, and refusing to disclose the details.
Their explanation for keeping the police settlements secret, that it might cause the officers to suffer security issues, is either nothing more than a sad excuse, or the payments to these officers were truly enormous. We have many obviously rich people in this country who don’t get that kind of consideration from the government. It is much more likely that the government is trying to duck any outrage that may follow if we found out what kind of payday they agreed to.
So, exactly how rich are these police officers now? The government can’t seriously be saying that members of the public don’t have a right to know what they did with our money.
And then there are other questions. for example do these senior officers happen to have any particular political affiliations? I am not accusing them of anything, but I hear politicians say all the time that justice must not only be done but also “seen to be done”.
Editor, this is exactly why we need a Freedom of Information Act. If I remember correctly, the last PLP government promised to make this a reality. Minnis and the FNM made similar promises.
So, where do I sign up? How can I put in a request for freedom of information with regard to these police settlements? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Sincerely,
Ricky Johnson
