Wiretapping C’bean
By ANDRE BAGOO Sunday, April 6 2008

...SWEEPING legislative changes, including a proposal to regulate the practice of wiretapping in the entire region, are among a series of recommendations agreed to by Caricom Heads of States, Bharrat Jagdeo, the Guyanese president, revealed yesterday.

Speaking to reporters outside of the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Trinidad where a special security meeting of the Caricom Heads of Government was concluded. Jagdeo disclosed that he had personal knowledge that wiretapping is done throughout the region and revealed that it was agreed by heads of government that the practice should be regulated by legislation.

“People wiretap now,” he said, “but they can’t use it for evidence because it’s done illegally.”

“Some countries have wiretapping legislation — others don’t. We need to have wiretapping legislation for all the countries of the region. This is an important tool in the arsenal in the fight against crime now,” Jagdeo said. Asked which countries engage in wiretapping in the region, Jagdeo would not go into specifics, simply asserting that the practice is done in the region.

“It happens and I know it happens…but of course it has to be done under controlled circumstances to respect people’s privacy but this is absolutely necessary,” he said.

The proposal echoes similar plans to allow evidence obtained via wiretapping to be allowed in courts in the United Kingdom

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,76373.html

It's time we legally place bugs on all suspected criminals' phone lines..

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:
It's time we legally place bugs on all suspected criminals' phone lines..

We cannot do that. You cannot follow Bush into the frame of thought that there are no personal freedoms. We would need to do it with a court and where necessary for security reasons, one not unlike the American FISA courts that worked well until George Bush.

quote:

Originally posted by D2:

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:
It's time we legally place bugs on all suspected criminals' phone lines..

We cannot do that. You cannot follow Bush into the frame of thought that there are no personal freedoms. We would need to do it with a court and where necessary for security reasons, one not unlike the American FISA courts that worked well until George Bush.

Sometimes, you have to take drastic measures to get results as in the case of Guyana where criminals rule the land and the police are at a loss at what to do.. Of course this would mean that a court order is necessary..

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:

quote:

Originally posted by D2:

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:
It's time we legally place bugs on all suspected criminals' phone lines..

We cannot do that. You cannot follow Bush into the frame of thought that there are no personal freedoms. We would need to do it with a court and where necessary for security reasons, one not unlike the American FISA courts that worked well until George Bush.

Sometimes, you have to take drastic measures to get results as in the case of Guyana where criminals rule the land and the police are at a loss at what to do.. Of course this would mean that a court order is necessary..

Drastic, not illegal measures to be taken. The Police have not effectively exhausted all legal means to cope with crime.

quote:

Originally posted by D2:

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:
It's time we legally place bugs on all suspected criminals' phone lines..

We cannot do that. You cannot follow Bush into the frame of thought that there are no personal freedoms. We would need to do it with a court and where necessary for security reasons, one not unlike the American FISA courts that worked well until George Bush.

Indeed we cannot. The methods used to combat crime must meet with the approval of the citizenry or else it is doomed to fail. A good place to start is with the dialogue with the stakeholders. It is a pity that has been somewhat derailed at the moment. I hope they get it back on track soon enough.

Dictatorship by this PPP Govt continues to increase. It is clear that this PPP Govt will mostly spy on citizens who do not toe the Govt line than on suspected criminals.

Burke takes a swipe at Corbin
Guyana's Opposition and PNCR leader, Mr. Robert Corbin, today directed his "PNCR North America" group to attack me personally for CGID's statement of fact that he has been "ineffective as opposition leader, and seems to lack a vision for the country." They did not address the substance of our contention but, instead, sought to reduce a discussion on verifiable determinations to an exercise in personal vilification.


It is not my desire to descend with them into the cesspool of gutter politics to hurl filth, as it is beneath my dignity. People who are bankrupt and cannot compete in the arena of ideas and lack vision, do so best. I must note however, that I have never seen as much as a letter to the press, from this so-called "PNCR of North America" group. I am therefore happy that they have fired up their engines to attack me.


I am amused that Mr. Corbin could mobilize his few supporters in North America to attack me but cannot mobilize ten people for a street march in Guyana. I am even further amused that he could not muster the courage to attack and mobilize against Head of the Presidential Secretariat in Guyana, Dr Roger Luncheon. He remained as quiet as a church mouse then, but has now galvanized his obsequious minions to attack me. That not withstanding, his machiavellian politics cannot intimidate me.


Their response is bereft of substance and is symptomatic of a hollow leadership. It's school-boyish, infantile platitudes are infradig. They claim that "Rickford Burke was eager to ingratiate himself to President Jagdeo during last year's (2007) Folk Festival in Brooklyn." Even if this were true, what has it to do with the price of cheese in Scotland or Mr. Corbin being an incompetent leader? It is a desperate and pitiful stringing together of a clumsy lie, by an idle mind, to spawn a mendacious cocktail of vitriol. But it is cowardly and laughable.


Their statement also foolishly claimed that I asked for a photo opportunity with Jagdeo at the Folk Festival; another blatant lie. I was at the event with a New York State Supreme Court Judge, a State Senator and an Assemblyman and was introducing them to the event organizers when Jagdeo came by and photographers asked for a group photo. In any event, even if I had asked for a photo of the President, what is its relevance to a discussion about Corbin's competence as opposition leader? This is an amateurish diversion.


Corbin's so-called North America group also suggested that I emigrated from Guyana while he (Corbin) remained. How imbecilic can they be? This contention would have been slightly credible and less ridiculous and hypocritical, had Corbin not asked his supporters, who have themselves emigrated from Guyana, to make this charge. Furthermore, their attack on me for emigrating is an insult to all Guyanese immigrants in New York. If this is how Mr. Corbin truly feels about us, then why come to us for financial donations?


Mr. Corbin group also asked? "If, indeed, Mr. Burke is interested in the removal of the Jagdeo regime, as he so robustly proclaims, perhaps he should explain why he was so eager to ingratiate himself to President Jagdeo?" I don't know what this question is expected to achieve as I have never "ingratiated" myself to Jagdeo or attempted to (or intend to attempt) to remove his regime. Mr. Corbin and his supporters seem confused. CGID is not the political opposition and is certainly not in the business of "removing regimes." If Mr. Corbin intends to continue to hope that others will do his job for him, then he should look elsewhere. The removal of the "Jagdeo regime" might be his agenda but it is certainly not an expressed objective of ours. I hope that his so-called North America group can actually contribute to his agenda. They need not worry about ours.


I have also argued that "Mr. Corbin appears to be nonplussed, like a deaf man amidst a sonic boom, unmoved by events and circumstances.


I hold firm to the above views and make no apologies. I will however "talk half and lef half."
RICKFORD BURKE

A win-win for everyone
The administration should be commended for

There are positives and negatives in this type of exercise, and since we already had a negative situation in which public figures had their phones illegally bugged by an alleged drug baron, (though no one was charged with any crimes), it is pretty obvious that phone tapping can prove embarrassing if politics take precedence over limits of its use as prescribed by a court of law.

The President’s phone tapping idea, nevertheless, would have been good if the government was transparent and accountable for its doings. There also is no Freedom of Information law that would allow citizens or the free media to ask the court to order government to reveal information on lots of its decisions or actions, so the government gets to do whatever it pleases and tells us whatever it wants us to know.

Can we afford to give a government that operates in secrecy the legal power to tap phones at will? Don't we run the risk of entertaining a 'secret state police' system that spies on people?

And even though I know the President is linking phone tapping to criminal activities, I have to ask why he is rushing into this area when he is yet to complete reforming the police force, with a SWAT team, to function on a professional level? Why hasn’t he reformed the judiciary so it can reduce the backlog of outstanding criminal cases that date back years? Doesn’t he know that as criminal cases pile up and suspects are sent to remand that the prison system is being dangerously overpopulated?

Moreover, given his own penchant for autocracy, why should anyone not feel he can use phone tapping for political purposes as he is known to constantly link dangerous criminals to the political opposition?

Interesting.

Now can some PPPite tell us why the PPP is stalling the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act?

quote:

Originally posted by BLACKBEARD:
Interesting.

Now can some PPPite tell us why the PPP is stalling the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act?

they are not stalling. The bill is not ready. The first Lady would also like to know why??

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:

quote:

Originally posted by BLACKBEARD:
Interesting.

Now can some PPPite tell us why the PPP is stalling the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act?

they are not stalling. The bill is not ready. The first Lady would also like to know why??

Suggest you direct your query to Manniran Prashad.

quote:

Originally posted by BLACKBEARD:

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:

quote:

Originally posted by BLACKBEARD:
Interesting.

Now can some PPPite tell us why the PPP is stalling the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act?

they are not stalling. The bill is not ready. The first Lady would also like to know why??

Suggest you direct your query to Manniran Prashad.

You are the one who is asking!!

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:

quote:

Originally posted by BLACKBEARD:

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:

quote:

Originally posted by BLACKBEARD:
Interesting.

Now can some PPPite tell us why the PPP is stalling the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act?

they are not stalling. The bill is not ready. The first Lady would also like to know why??

Suggest you direct your query to Manniran Prashad.

You are the one who is asking!!

Good one! Peace.