00:00And I am proud to say, Mr. Speaker, that every polygraph test that I undertook, I pass all of them.
00:08Unfortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately, there are many of those.
00:14Can't boast of it. They run from polygraph, Mr. Speaker. They run from polygraph.
00:20Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzalez's political salvo to the government in the House of Representatives
00:25as he recalled his past career working in the police service.
00:30It's a little too early to launch a glorified tirade, right? Let's just stick to the building.
00:35House Speaker Jagdeo Singh also intervened when Homeland Security Minister Raj Alexander later took political aim at the Chief Whip.
00:43Remember Farouk Alopino mentioned a polygraph test?
00:47I don't know if he will take one today.
00:54Would you subject yourself to one today?
00:56Hey, if I was to polygraph you and ask you if you want to be the leader of the opposition.
01:02As I said earlier, it's a little too early today for that.
01:08Yes, but this is not the foreign to ask that question.
01:11Okay, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I humbly apologize.
01:15The lower house was debating a motion to approve the president's notification of the Police Service Commission's nomination for Deputy
01:22Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin to act as police commissioner.
01:26The genesis of which is the impending travels by the commissioner of police, as indicated here in the notification,
01:40to attend an international association of chiefs of police annual conference and exposition in Orlando, Florida, USA,
01:49from the 22nd of October to the 28th of October, 2026.
01:55The opposition expressed its support for the pending acting Top Cup appointment.
02:00Mr. Benjamin indicated in his CV that when he served as commissioner of police during the period of time that
02:14the PNM was in office,
02:17he achieved and contributed to a reported 31% reduction in murders during the period of executive leadership, Mr. Speaker.
02:33However, the opposition raised its objections against the motion for acting assistant police commissioner Anand Ramassar to act as deputy
02:42police commissioner.
02:43And I refer to a daily express report dated October 22, 2012, on three disciplinary charges by the police complaints
02:54tribunal,
02:55which also ordered that 36 days' pay be deducted from Ramassar's salary.
03:02He was penalized for engaging in a professional undertaking without permission from the police commissioner.
03:19The Homeland Security Minister expressed no concerns on behalf of the government.
03:25It seemed like the member for Aruka Lopino came here with a kind of scooby-doo tactics and looking for
03:32clues because he had none at all.
03:36So, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Ramassar was interviewed again by the police service commission and placed on a merit list.
03:46After division vote, the eight opposition MPs present voted against the motion for Mr. Ramassar to act as deputy police
03:54commissioner,
03:55but it was approved with the support of the 23 government MPs present.
04:00Mr. Benjamin's acting appointment to lead the TTPS in the absence of police commissioner Alistair Gravaro was approved without objection.
04:09Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
