By Heppilena Ferguson
The government’s decision to go ahead with plans to sack nine Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officers after they failed their recent lie-detector tests has not gone down well with the parliamentary opposition parties, even as the individuals await their official termination letters.
The employees recently met with Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, who in a brief interaction with a few reporters following the launch of the country’s new daily on Thursday, confirmed that the officers will definitely be fired. Rohee acknowledged that there was need for an overhaul of the entire unit and added that a substantive head would have to be appointed after the outstanding issues are settled. He said the records of those who have to go home are being examined carefully with a view to ensuring that their benefits are paid to them.
However as the debate about the tests being used as the basis to fire the officials gains momentum, members of the opposition are not only calling for the tests to be extended to other branches of law enforcement but also for government officials to be subjected to the testing. A call has also come for the cases handled by the CANU officers to come under serious review.
Leader of the Parliamen-tary Opposition and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) leader Robert Corbin when asked about his party’s opposition to the government’s move said he was interested in knowing first of all the questions which the officers were asked, which led to some of them failing.
“Were they asked if they have ever taken bribes, taken directives from politicians?” he queried. He said only a detailed explanation of the questions asked could help in establishing “this mysterious labour law which is leading to their discredit as officers of the unit.” He said too that he felt that the officers have been put in a position where they cannot defend themselves.
