Parliament on Friday approved the list of names that President Max Richards has promised for the new Police Service Commission (PSC).The members of the commission will be Nizam Mohammed, Addison Khan, Martin George, Jacqueline Cheeseman and Kenneth Parker.
The appointment of the chairman of the commission is the responsibility of the President.
The People's Partnership government favours Mohammed for the job. Mohammed is a former MP and also a former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
He will likely get the nod because the man who will make the decision is Senate President Timothy Hamel-Smith, who is acting President.
Opposition Leader Keith Rowley opposes Mohammed's appointment, saying he has partisan political connections.
Mohammed was a founding member of the United Labour Front (ULF) and served as an opposition MP from 1976 to 1986. He also served as opposition Chief Whip and was Chairman of the ULF from 1979 to 81.
He was Speaker of the House of Representatives during the Robinson administration from 1986 to 1991.
In voicing his strong opposition to the appointment of Mohammed Rowley stated that Mohammed was involved in the formation of the Congress of the People (COP), which is a member of the People's Partnership.
He said Mohammed was also part of a high-powered COP team appointed to comment of the constitutional proposals that former Prime Minister Patrick Manning had circulated for discussion.
"Mr Speaker...nobody in this Parliament or in this country, could tell me that Nizam Mohammed is not an actively engaged politician," Rowley said.
Rowley disagreed with a government statement that Kenneth Lalla, a former PSC chairman, was also a politician. Lalla served as an MP as well. However Rowley said Lalla had retired from politics for many years before he was appointed to the post.
"But this Government feels that because they have a handsome majority—which we don't begrudge—they can do anything...Well, PNM will have none of that!" he said.
National Security Minister John Sandy disagreed that Mohammed's political connections would cause him to be biased.
"I think it is unfair to sit here and cast aspersions on the gentleman's integrity," Sandy said, noting that in a small country like Trinidad and Tobago it is rare to find persons who do not have some political preference.
He described Mohammed as a person with an "impeccable character".
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