The Finance Minister’s recent vehicular accident is not the sort of news you would easily dismiss on a hectic day at a newsroom, even if the write-up is just to report the basic facts. But as it turns out, there is more than the basic story to be told from the Republic Day collision, insofar as it calls our attention to how power serves to shield those in the power elite from the law and accountability, in ways hardly imaginable for the rest of us.
On the account of his public status, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh’s conduct is going to be scrutinised during and after official working hours. The political responsibility he has accepted extends beyond his budget speeches in Parliament, official press conferences and scheduled appearances–Dr Singh is, until his portfolio changes, a public official who we have entrusted with power and it’s in our interest to know how he uses it, whether on official or unofficial business.
Many of us have certain expectations of the conduct of Dr Singh and every other public official, though these continue to be eroded with every new example of their disregard for due process, their unbridled entitlement and their bald abuse of power.
That being said, I still expect Dr Singh to live above and beyond reproach because this country has a massive deficit for that kind of leadership and he may have once been counted among the qualified.
So, what happened? Two vehicles collided around 9pm on February 23 at the junction of Garnett Street and Delph Avenue, Campbellville. In one vehicle was taxi driver Jageshwar Hira and the passenger he was ferrying, Parbattie Shivcharan, while in the other was the Honourable Minister of Finance. From all accounts, Dr Singh lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the taxi. It was also reported that he “appeared intoxicated” and within minutes of the crash he had vanished from the scene, leaving a bewildered Hira and Shivcharan.
Hira, in interview with the press, mentioned the name of a close associate of the minister who appeared at the scene with the same swiftness with which the minister had vanished. The associate offered to “take care of things” and promised to be in contact then he too left. The accident and the fallout, including the police reports and media interviews, were left to Hira as he stood alone, slightly injured and no doubt in shock and confusion on a darkened city street with the smashed-up car he used to earn his livelihood.
Hira, in a Stabroek News interview, said: “I was coming down this street [west on Garnett Street, Campbellville] and this vehicle was coming out of this road [Delph Avenue] and just jump the major road, slam into me, sending we into that gutter…. The man come out then we see is the Finance Minister but he ain’t even offer help. He just jump into another vehicle and drive off leaving we hay….”
What followed was equally shocking. The Minister, as was expected, sought medical attention but he made no direct attempts that night to ascertain how the other people he crashed into were doing. How was the driver whose car he had just wrecked? How was the passenger he was ferrying? He made no attempt the following day—it was as if he had no culpability in the matter, and this should be of concern to us all.
What should also be of concern to us is the fact the Minister failed to submit himself to the police in the hours following the accident, to say nothing of the fact that a breathalyser test was not administered.
We should also be concerned that the Minister lost his capacity for speech when approached by the press on the matter, likely on the advice of his attorney, who in this instance happens to be our Attorney General. But out of respect for the citizens of this country and, more specifically, out of respect for the people he smashed into, Dr Singh ought to, at the very least, address the issue publicly. Even more, he should have apologised before the media approached him.
The power we have entrusted Dr Singh with does not shield him from culpability in this matter, and we certainly did not empower him to treat any of us in the manner he has treated Hira and Shivcharan.
And as observed by lawyer Raphael Trotman, in an invited comment published in Stabroek News this week, failing to render assistance once an accident has occurred and failing to report an accident to the police can and should result in charges. Trotman, also Speaker of the National Assembly, also pointed out that even if private compensation were to be worked out, persons were still required under the law to render assistance if they were in a position to do so.
Hira has met with the Attorney General and was informed that they are working on a settlement but the figure is way below what he is asking for. Hira is requesting a $6 million dollar settlement but the figure being mentioned is according to him, “way below one million.”
In the struggle for more responsible leadership, it is incumbent upon us to communicate our concerns and frustrations with the political elites. The usual silence which pervades the atmosphere when we expect them to account for their actions has become too entrenched in our democracy and, as demonstrated by this recent case, is growing increasingly blatant.
This is not an isolated case of political power shielding elites and their relatives, associates even, from law enforcement and our justice system. There are documented reports of a minister’s son battering his partner; there are several reports of ordinary citizens being run over from those behind the wheels of government vehicles, and the the infamous case of former Minister Kellawan Lall running over an officer attached to the courts, resulting in serious injuries. To date, the officer is unable to walk without support and he was forced to quit working. When I saw him recently, he said, “Nothing ain’t the same child and things rough.”
These cases somehow never attract police investigations and result in criminal charges. With our own eyes we have seen how they’ve bent the “abuse of power” dictum beyond recognition. What happened with Dr Singh is a “police matter” not something the Home Affairs Minister would dare comment on, but the Home Affairs knows when to criticise the police for their shabby work.
The problem for me though is not so much the obvious attempt to sweep this accident aside, it is Dr Singh and what is expected of him while he holds office. He’s had time to recover from the crash and it must have occurred to him that there is a wrong approach and a right approach.
To Dr Singh, I say, think it over and if things still seem a bit blurry simply ask yourself this question: What’s the right thing to do?
Have a question or comment? Connect with Iana Seales at about.me/iseales
