Senator now accuses Govt of installing partisan deputy police chief

Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn on Wednesday slammed the Mottley administration for creating an “illegal” position in the Royal Barbados Police Force in a bid to get “their man” in the job.

The senator was speaking during the Police (Amendment) Bill in the Upper House today. Senator Franklyn said the elevation of then Assistant Commissioner Oral Williams into the post of Deputy Commissioner was wrong and unlawful since at the time the Police Act had made no provisions for such.

But going even further than previous speeches on the legality of the appointment, the Opposition lawmaker then accused Government of politically favouring Williams whom he accused of being “party-friendly”. He also said that his installation in the office “smelled like corruption”.

Senator Franklyn declared: “This is almost like corruption. It is certainly political interference in the public service but it also smells like corruption to me. We have a person who was not successful at the interview. A person junior to him got the job.”

The trade unionist said a priority appointment list the administration referred to did not apply to Williams since his appointment was made four years after.

He said: “They created an illegal deputy position and put their man in it. I heard over time people say he was on the priority list so the person who is Number 1 on the priority list would have been made deputy. That is nonsense a priority list is only valid for two years. He got the job four years after that priority list so that is not true. That was an explanation to fool the public who don’t know the Public Service Act but I am not one of those persons who don’t know the Public Service Act.

“So if you look at the recruitment code in the Public Service it says a priority list is valid for two years so this post should have been subject to interviews and who-so-ever-will should have been able to apply and contest for the post. But you didn’t do that ’cause you wanted a particular person.”

The senator then charged the Government with wanting to “help out” Williams by placing him in a position where he would qualify for a higher pension.

Senator Franklyn said: “It was to help him out. Then they blame it on the Commissioner asking for a post. All over the public service people ask to have things done and they don’t get done. Let me tell you what is the benefit to the person who holds the post and this is what this is all about.A person in the public service, after working 33-and-a-third years, qualifies for full pension but your pension is calculated based on the last 36 months earnings.

“So you backdate it to 2019 so he would have 2019, 2020 and he is retiring in October 2021. That would give him the three years he needs to get the pension at that level. This is what this is all about. That is why you are backdating this legislation for three years. This is (to) help out to make him get the better pension.”

Senator Franklyn said Williams’ pension will now be $4,773.74 a month and he will get a gratuity of $238,687. 00. He said that had Williams stayed at the position as Assistant Commissioner the pension would be $482.43 less and he would have gotten $24,121. 50 less in gratuity.

He told the Chamber: “This is about giving a fella piece more change. This isn’t about the needs of the police force. This is about the needs of the person who they put in the job without going through interviews as is in accordance with the law.

“A law that I didn’t pass, it is a law that the Barbados Labour Party pass, it is one of the last things the BLP pass in 2007 just before they got out of office in 2008. So this is what this Barbados Labour Party put on the books and ignoring it every time because it does not suit their purpose. Don’t come and try to fool the public. Tell the truth.”

The leader of Unity Workers Union questioned why Government would take a crime-fighter and put him to do human resource tasks.

Senator Franklyn said: “Then you tell me this is to improve the human resources and that it is about managing the human resource process in the police force. That is nonsense. Human resources is not a police function. You need a senior personal officer at that level to do the human resource work you don’t need a crime-fighter. A crime- fighter to do human resources?”

He said there were many other issues in the public sector which needed Government’s urgent attention and suggested they address those issues with the same haste.

He continued: “They say the Commissioner of Police ask for this post so they rush to do it. I want that same alacrity that the Government rush with for other sectors of the Public Service.

“People in the Statistical Department have been working overtime since March 2019 and they haven’t gotten paid yet. No one has run with the same speed and alacrity that they did to put this deputy commissioner post.

“People who actually work you ain’t rushing to pay them but you rushing to sort out a fella pension. He is more important or he is more party-friendly.”