By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — In the escalating controversy surrounding Deputy Commissioner of Police Fizal Karimbaksh, Member of Parliament and Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) Amanza Walton-Desir has sharply criticized the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, asserting that the government cannot decry institutional dysfunction within the Guyana Police Force while failing to resolve it.
Addressing public statements made by cabinet members regarding Karimbaksh’s refusal to proceed on leave, Walton-Desir declared that the administration must move past political posturing and fulfill its fundamental constitutional duty to properly constitute the Police Service Commission (PSC).
Walton-Desir pointed out that while several government ministers have publicly voiced opinions that the senior officer should be dismissed or sent home, their public commentary exposes an administrative deadlock: under the Constitution of Guyana, disciplinary authority over senior ranks rests solely with a fully constituted Police Service Commission—a body the executive has left dormant.
Constitutional Gridlock: The Power to Discipline Senior Ranks
Walton-Desir argued that public remarks from the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, reveal contradictions within the executive:
- Triggering Constitutional Mechanisms: Walton-Desir noted that Minister Teixeira holds direct portfolio responsibility for parliamentary processes and constitutional governance, making her the minister tasked with initiating the steps required to constitute constitutional commissions, including the PSC.
- The Home Affairs Dilemma: Walton-Desir questioned the propriety of Minister Teixeira directing what the Minister of Home Affairs should or should not do, observing that the Home Affairs Minister has been placed in an awkward position without the constitutional authority to enforce disciplinary leave or penalties against a Deputy Commissioner.
- Refusal to Proceed on Leave: With Deputy Commissioner Karimbaksh reportedly declining administrative directives to proceed on leave, the executive lacks the direct constitutional machinery to discipline him in the absence of the PSC.
“Gail Teixeira is the minister responsible for triggering the processes that would constitute the Police Service Commission,” Walton-Desir emphasized.
Collective Accountability: ‘All of Them Are Responsible’
Rejecting claims that individual ministers can distance themselves from the controversy, the opposition parliamentarian stressed collective cabinet responsibility for the impasse:
- Empty Public Rhetoric: Walton-Desir stated that ministers issuing public calls for dismissals cannot obscure the fact that their own administration has delayed bringing the constitutional oversight commission into operation.
- A State of Embarrassment: The parliamentarian described the standoff as an avoidable embarrassment stemming directly from governance inertia.
“All of them are responsible for this embarrassment that we find ourselves in,” Walton-Desir asserted.
“Guyana, for too long we have accepted as normal the type of dysfunction that this PPP/C government brings to our country.”
Regional Comparisons: Falling Behind CARICOM Governance Standards
Drawing comparisons with regional and international benchmarks, Walton-Desir highlighted how Guyana’s delay in establishing independent oversight bodies diverges from established democratic norms:
- CARICOM and Commonwealth Precedent: The MP observed that across Commonwealth and CARICOM member states, an estimated 98 percent maintain active, functioning service commissions to safeguard public institutions and preserve law enforcement discipline.
- The Call for Accountability: Walton-Desir questioned why Guyanese citizens should accept administrative paralysis when neighboring jurisdictions maintain functional constitutional architecture.
“Why must we accept differently? Why must we accept less in Guyana?” she questioned.
Walton-Desir reiterated her call on the government to initiate the required parliamentary and consultative steps to fully appoint and swear in the Police Service Commission without further delay.
