Amazing.
President Maxwell ‘Smartman’ Richards does remind me of the infamous not-so-secret secret agent.
Despite monumental cockups over the Integrity Commission appointments, he ent resigning due to the fact that it will lead to…
constitutional crisis by creating a vacuum in the Office of the President
and so we are stuck with the clown for some time to come. Never mind we can appoint another Prez same as we have to appoint another IC.
Of course, he has ‘apologised’ and his apology is even printed in full.
Ha… apology my hairy arse.
Firstly, he has not actually apologised. All he says is that he '”deeply regret[s] the anxiety experienced by the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the embarrassment occasioned to the appointees.”
That is not an apology. It is a statement that could very well pertain to being caught out in the fiasco. Still, he goes on:
Should persons selected have been more forthcoming, more exacting in their self assessment and qualified fitness for purpose? Should the Office of President be endowed with investigatory facilities and resources to better sift the process of those who will guard the guards? Should those consulted themselves have had a more reliable process in place to receive the invitation for consultation and, themselves have been more forthcoming, to enable the consultation to be more meaningful? Did your President err? All of these are legitimate questions which arise to be weighed.
Lets break it down, shall we?
Should persons selected have been more forthcoming, more exacting in their self assessment and qualified fitness for purpose?
Blame the persons selected.
Should the Office of President be endowed with investigatory facilities and resources to better sift the process of those who will guard the guards?
Blame lack of resources.
Should those consulted themselves have had a more reliable process in place to receive the invitation for consultation and, themselves have been more forthcoming, to enable the consultation to be more meaningful?
Blame the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, and politicians in general.
No Max, the error in judgement is yours, and yours alone, especially in the case of Father Charles who CONFESSED to you his plagiarism prior to to his appointment.
No carefully worded ‘apology’ will digress this writer from the fact that you condoned this, you being a man who was a former principal of a university.
I now wonder if I ought to hire any UWI graduate because you have strengthened my formerly held belief that they are lazy, tiefing citizens who faked or plagiarised their degrees under your watch.
Come to think of it, I wonder where you plagiarised your ‘apology’ from?
PS: How did the newspapers determined he said he is sorry?
