Editorial: President must dismiss St Cyr to protect the integrity of T&T

The matter of Eric St Cyr's pronouncements about the use of a house by Mrs Kamla Persad-Bisssessar after the elections is a display of his bias and deems him unfit for the position. 

Having not had the benefit of any facts , nor having given an opportunity for the Prime Minister to respond, he has ruled in the public, himself violating the code of ethics of the Integrity Commission. 

This lapse of judgement or deliberate attempt to find guilty and cause aspersions to be cast on the character of the PM cannot go without personal consequences.

The Chairman of the Integrity Commission is appointed by the President. The average citizen cannot have faith in an institution whose actions are prejudicial or give the impression of prejudice. 

Further, such statements have the ability in a small society to cause perceptions that can hurt the career of decent persons including those who hold political office. The transgression of Eric St Cyr cannot now go unnoticed by the President.

This situation is not dissimilar to the Nizam Mohammed affair where the integrity of the Police Service Commission was compromised and caused the President to dismiss him. 

There must not be two set of standards by which the President operates. The integrity of the Integrity Commission has been severely compromised by the Chairman.

Further, the Commissioners by their silence, are equally culpable of this ethical misdemeanour of their Chairman. 

This action by the Chairman resembles a "kangaroo" type court and is irrational to say the least. It appears to be the action of an individual who has certain unconscious prejudices and awaits the moment to strike out.

An institution that upholds ethics must always have men and women at the helm whose ethical consciousness is impeccable. Unfortunately this is not the case of the Chairman who has descended into the political arena and may be showing an inherent bias that has always been with him. 

One is therefore moved to ask as to why the Commission has not been making public its findings on matters involving the PNM Administration, but is quick to rule without "trial" on the members of the UNC.

If the President fails to act so as to remove the Chairman, the people would have lost faith in him, but more importantly, the national morality would have suffered another blow. 

Those who guard the ethics of the country must be ethical. On this matter there is no compromise.