Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has threatened legal action over the process to appoint Clifton Hicken as a new Police Commissioner after President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s consultation.
Norton said the President was breaching the Constitution. He claimed the Opposition Leader was not properly consulted. He even said there was no “meaningful consultation” with the President. He argued that Hicken could not be appointed now because he was beyond the age.

Additionally, Norton had his opposition political minions retired: Assistant Police Commissioners Paul Slowe and Clinton Conway, expressing concern over the President’s decision to appoint Hicken and how the process was developing.
They were joined by the former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran who argued that Hicken could not hold the office as the substantive Commissioner.
Any Guyanese with the slightest integrity and objectivity could see that these arguments are frivolous and wrong. They could read between the lines and see what the group of politicians, senior ex-policemen and one-sided public commentators who support this line of thinking are trying to do.

They are trying to confuse the public and create disinformation and misinformation surrounding Hicken’s intended appointment. By creating confusion and a lack of confidence in the President’s decision, Norton hopes to create the impression that the PPP/C is practising illegality, breaching the Constitution, and wants to clear the way to make another ethnic appointment.
Norton, Slowe, Conway, and Goolsarran also hope that through their public comments in the traditional media and social media, they will stir up some emotions in the Guyana Police Force between those on the extreme right-wing, liberals, and left-wing policing. They hope to cause drama and add to the public’s lack of confidence in the government’s oversight of the entire police force.

The opposition, through its usual conduits, hopes that there would be widespread condemnation and an outright public rejection of Hicken, bolstered by its plan to move to the Court. It would cause the situation regarding the constitutional appointments, management of the GPF, and law and order to crumble before year-end, marking the launch of public chaos and civil unrest against the police and government.
Firstly, Norton is acting like a political novice. He is behaving as if the PPP/C or the President does not have experience with the appointment of police commissioners or other constitutional office holders. Maybe that is why he has had “zero” success in baiting the PPP/C into doing something that they are not ready to do.

Surely, he does not believe the PPP/C, with all its years of experience, would not know the process of appointing Hicken now that he is past retirement age. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has already told the public that he diligently and carefully followed through with the letter and spirit of the Constitution. Nandlall and his colleague Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira, penned certain meticulous letters about the appointment of Hicken and five others to Norton for his reply.

The letters, one would conclude, fulfils all of the requirements that constitute “meaningful consultation” as defined by the Constitution. Even the follow-up letters were crafted in a detailed manner responding to every protestation or objection of Norton in his reply according to the laws.
The fact that Norton responded is enough to state there was meaningful consultation which did not have to amount to a face-to-face meeting. So, there was and will be no unconstitutionality or illegality when or if the government moves ahead with Hicken’s appointment.

Secondly, Hicken’s age could not be the problem because he was legally appointed to act and granted an extension on July 21, 2022, before he attained the legal retirement age. For reference, the news articles in the Stabroek News, Guyana Times and Kaieteur News are still fresh in the public’s mind. Norton ran to the courts and they rejected him then.
Does he want to risk a repeat, talking and threatening the government? How many times must the government defend itself in the court for simple matters like these? Is he willing to waste the court’s time and the public’s patience? Why does he assume he is more learned when it comes to the law than the PPP/C government? Didn’t his PNC-APNU party lose every case which was challenged except one?

It seems the opposition leader is badly misguided, or deliberately wants to embarrass the opposition and the opposition’s legal team. It was news to the public of how and what was the process to appoint Nigel Hoppie to the post and who appointed him.
If it was a case where the PPP/C instructed its Home Affairs PS to appoint Hicken, it would be a different ball game altogether and Norton could not be faulted for wanting to run for relief from the courts. This, however, is not the case, so the government could go ahead with its appointment.

Thirdly, Conway and Slowe are like pessimists. The critique of the police, policing and law and order by the duo must cause the public pause. They are not to be trusted and believed. There are “all types” of plots, personal scores, malice, envy and bitterness shielded as “concern and care” for the policemen in Guyana. They are on the political campaign of disinformation and misinformation aided and abetted by Norton and the opposition. They are not right though they sound right.

Slowe hates the PPP/C and its progressive policing tactics. And, as for Goolsarran, his comments could not be described as anything more than vacuous, asinine, and unmeritorious. The public must excuse him because, for a bright man, he had a very dull moment when he criticised the government. He should stick to writing from the outside about the work of the Auditor General and nothing else.
After all, Minister Nandlall said the government is prepared to defend its decision and the legality of its actions if it comes to that.

Finally, all the allegations against Hicken were unsubstantiated. And now, the Opposition Leader wants to stir up confusion and drama surrounding the President’s decision, management and supervision of the force.
He knew that Hicken would be appointed and instead of dedicating time and intelligence to making a strong case backed up by facts or empirical evidence to the president, he resorts to race, discrimination and all sorts of political buffoonery and foolery.

No upheaval and civil unrest will take place as Norton seemingly hopes. Nobody is concerned and the public is satisfied, despite his best efforts at manufacturing a controversy. Using race or the issue of the Police Commissioner appointment to try and stir up division is useless because the police and the public see right through the machinations of Norton, Slowe and Conway.
Nothing will interrupt Guyanese who are busy enjoying the good life, promised by the Coalition Government of 2015 and now delivered by the current government with prosperity and stability added for flavour.

Come to the light Norton. If you will ever be President, you must police your thoughts and actions before you seek to police others. You must have a dossier on Hicken backed up with objections from the Guyanese people and not phantoms. Stop touring and electioneering. Take stock of yourself.
One wouldn’t be surprised if Hicken and his five deputies are appointed already.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.