Dear Editor

Around 10:00hrs on Wednesday September 4 last, while relaxing alone under my bottom house in the vicinity of Suddie old road in Region Two, the driver and owner of a private mini bus who is well known to me as a family friend unexpectedly drove into my yard up to the gate.

All of a sudden his wife who was with him along with several members of an overseas based family returning to their Golden Fleece home disembarked from the vehicle and all of them were invited to come in having provided seating accommodation. The driver did not come in as he drove out back in the direction of Supenaam and while conversing it was revealed that on his way he was stopped on the Riverstown Pubic Road by a traffic rank who instructed him to ‘put off’ all the occupants in the vehicle and return to reach him.
Having complied with the order and out of curiosity on his return I asked him what really played out, with his response being that the rank demanded from him $10,000 so as not to be prosecute for a licence breach.

The driver made it known that he paid over the money for fear of harassment but from my personal opinion while it was good for the rank to gain financially from a corrupt transaction it was bad for the State losing revenue which is all time vitally important for the development of the country.

From my understanding, the driver did not offer the rank a bribe to forego prosecution but he was forced to do so and as such he should be exonerated to face a charge as well as provided by law.

With the driver being so busy to continue his journey, I took it on my own to make an official complaint about the rank’s malfeasance at the Suddie Station where my report was not entertained with the reason given that a matter of this kind cannot be dealt with at this station. I was advised to go at the Anna Regina Station and in so doing was sent back to reach the Subordinate Officer in charge of the Suddie Station.

The pushing around was really unbearable and I stayed on at Anna Regina for several hours before meeting the female Divisional Commander from whom a better reception could have been given. She launched an immediate investigation much to my satisfaction. It is unfortunate that corruption continues to be a cancerous epidemic within the Force but while it cannot be eradicated, it can well be exposed.

Regards
Baliram Persaud