–after peddling misleading information
OLD KAI is very disappointed at what appears to be an attempt by APNU Member of Parliament Christopher Jones to use his family to evoke public sympathy, even though he is in the wrong.An article appearing in the ‘Once-Upon-a-Time’ newspaper yesterday was riddled with inconsistencies, and makes one wonder if the leadership of the opposition feel they are above the law.

These are the people who never resist an opportunity to attack the Guyana Police Force and its ranks for not effectively enforcing the law, and when the police do enforce the law, they are also attacked.

The language used by the ‘Once Upon a time paper’ also helps to advance the cause of the APNU MP, as the article tells us that Jones was “accosted” by ranks of the Tactical Services Unit(TSU). Why not simply tell us that his vehicle was ‘stopped’? Even though they basically mean the same thing, accosted has a more negative connotation, and implies the use of force to detain, which clearly was not the case.

Jones then goes into full sympathy mode by telling us that three “armed” TSU ranks approached his vehicle and “ordered” him to step out. Why would he stress on the fact that these TSU ranks were ‘armed’, unless he was expecting to be approached by someone other than ranks on patrol duties?
Is he suggesting that they should leave their weapons in the vehicle when approaching a heavily tinted car in which the occupants have not been identified?

It is also standard procedure for the police to request drivers to step out of their vehicles to be questioned if there is an issue. It happens all over the world, especially in the United States, but this is apparently a grave wrong in the eyes of the political opposition in Guyana. This is what he has construed to mean that he and his family were treated in a “rude” manner by the ranks.

But then he goes on to contradict his contention against the ranks by indicating that they displayed concern for the welfare of his family by not conducting a search of his vehicle because of the occupants. Rather, he tells us he is the one who insisted that ranks conduct the search.

His contentions fall apart, and one could conclude that, based on the information provided by the media house, Jones was being untruthful in his assertions, as he claims that he admitted that he did not have a tint permit, but showed the ranks his vehicle pass provided by Parliament.

Old Kai was of the opinion that Parliament is where our laws are made and refined, including the particular one dealing with vehicle tint; and it is the Executive which is responsible for implementing the law through the relevant state agency, in this case the Guyana Police Force.

This is not the role of Parliament, and it is an indication that the leadership of the opposition feel that they can usurp the functions of other independent state agencies because of their one-seat majority in the National Assembly.

The APNU MP further exposes himself to public ridicule by admitting that he was less than truthful to the ranks, who clearly picked this up. This brought his ego back to earth as, when it dawned upon him that his ‘bluff’ was not going to work, he apparently remembered the correct procedure and informed the ranks that he does not have a permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs as yet.

Jones apparently feels so powerful that he has made no effort to secure the tint, as even though he admits that “he was taken to the Eve Leary Police Station recently concerning the same issue, and had assured an officer that he would have gotten a permit for the tint”, what he tells us is that “he is in the process of filling the application form…” this apparently is a very complicated form, which will require the APNU MP several days to fill up.

The most glaring of his admissions, however, is the contention that “the tint on his vehicle is from the manufacturer, and, as such, he is seeking an audience with Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee at the next sitting of Parliament.”

Is this the same Clement Rohee that he and his colleagues expressed a no-confidence in, and that the Opposition had sworn not to cooperate with, even to the point that Bills which were to be brought by him in Parliament had to be put to the House by the Attorney-General for them to be adopted? Is this the same Clement Rohee that both APNU and AFC had vowed not to recognize in his capacity as Home Affairs Minister?
When they are in trouble with the law, they conveniently recognize Rohee; but on matters of national importance and safety, such as the Firearms Amendment Bill, they refuse to recognize Rohee, and vote the bill down, to the detriment of society.

As I indicated earlier, Jones made a glaring admission, and Old Kai cannot see how he could ever be trusted by the public in future. He told us that the “tint on his vehicle was from the manufacturer…”, and, as you know, such tints are embedded in the glass; it is not something which can be applied and removed at will. The only way to remove it is to take out the entire glass panel and throw it away. But this is not the bold declaration in the headline of the story, and in subsequent admissions that he eventually “removed his tint” in the compound of the Eve Leary Police Station.

The mere fact that he was able to “remove” his tint clearly indicates that it was not from the manufacturer, as he was contending.

The public will be left to judge if this was an act of glaring dishonesty; and they must judge the other contradictions in the story of the APNU Member of Parliament, whom the Police Force had clearly warned before on the very issue, and who was given time to come into conformity with the law — to which he had given assurances that he would, but had made absolutely no effort to do.