… This time, in the public’s interest

WITH the power vested in him, Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix, who was at the time performing the duties of Minister of Public Security, instructed Commissioner of Police, at the time, Paul Williams, to have Deputy Superintendent of Police, Motie Dookie, proceed on leave in the public’s interest.

At the time, the decision was taken both Commissioner of Police (ag) David Ramnarine and substantive Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan were on travel duties together, in Arizona.

Dookie is the former head of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit who was the lone passenger in a minibus which was busted last December with large amounts of smuggled whisky.

This is the second set of leave that Dookie has been sent on within the last few months, even as he awaits departmental charges which are to be instituted against him when the Police Service Commission is constituted.

Two weeks ago, Williams had removed Dookie out of No.2 Sub Division in ‘A’ Division while he (Williams) was acting top cop. Ramnarine had posted Dookie to ‘A’ Division after the officer returned from a long period of leave that followed the whisky scandal. Ramnarine defended his decision by saying that “Dookie could not be kept within four walls, if you know what I mean”.

Contacted on Thursday afternoon, Minister Ramjattan told Guyana Chronicle that he is aware that Dookie was sent on leave in the interest of the public and that the decision was made by Minister Felix. Efforts to contact Ramnarine for a comment were unsuccessful.
However, when contacted, Minister Felix confirmed that an administrative decision was taken to have Mr Dookie sent on leave in the public’s interest as it was found that in December 2017, he acted in a manner that was in contradiction to his duties.

Further, the minister related that to keep Dookie on the job would have been a bad example to his juniors who are looking on and are following the matter very closely.
Minister Felix did not come out clearly to say how long Dookie would remain off the job but indicated that when the Police Service Commission is constituted, Dookie’s matter would come up and then a determination would be made by that body with respect to how they should handle the matter.