Dear Editor,
I refer to Ravi Dev's letter captioned
"The Rule of Law is the line between
civilisation and the jungle" (17.3.2004).
His opinion on the Rule of Law Masquerade (RLM)
must be regarded as opportunistic, if not a
justification for teaming up with the
disgruntled electoral vanquished. Clever
legerdemain from a political conjuror but
counterfeit altruism in a season of public
service misadventure. Participation in the RLM
on Saturday next will revive his sagging public
profile which needs occasions such as these to
draw attention to himself.
Let us examine his logic. Duty free
concessions are improperly obtained, court
orders are flagrantly disobeyed, Ramjattan's
expulsion, all add up to "venality" of
the government from "the highest to the
lowest official." Therein lies the sleight
of hand designed to attribute the acts of
"officials" in the public service to
the "executive" or "regime".
None of the acts complained of was committed by
the "executive" or the
"regime", nor were these wrongdoings
approved by the executive/regime. The Secretary
to the Treasury or the Registrar of the Supreme
Court or the Central Executive of the PPP, is
not the "executive government." Death
Squad allegations have been made by the
opposition PNC/R but this party has adamantly
refused to co-operate with the only established
competent authority. As a matter of interest,
speak privately to members of the public whose
grouping was the victim of mayhem, murder,
vicious robberies and kidnappings and they will
tell you invariably - thank God for the
Phantoms/Death Squads.
But Dev would have the public believe that
the executive government is the culprit. As far
as is known public service "officials"
come under the scrutiny of constitutional
commissions and party dissidents are governed by
party rules. As for the police force, I am not
aware that its members have changed their
allegiance nor has it been established that the
persons who benefited from duty free concessions
were given the blessings of the executive.
Dev's quandary is to justify his previous
attacks on the PNC/R and his present involvement
in the Masquerade (RLM) but, will he succeed?
Only time will tell.
