President Dr Irfaan Ali has defended the appointment of Assistant Police Commissioner (ag.) Clifton Hicken to the post of acting Police Commissioner and called on critics to say why not him.
Dr. Ali spoke to the News Room at the sidelines of an event at the University of Guyana (UG) Turkeyen Campus on Monday.
In brief comments hours after news broke that Hicken will be performing the duties of Police Commissioner effective March 30, Dr. Ali repeatedly asked: “Why not Hicken?”
The main opposition party – The People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) – has already signalled its intention to challenge the appointment legally, saying that it should not happen in the absence of an Opposition Leader.
The constitution mandates consultation between the two constitutional office holders on the issue of appointing a Police Commissioner.
But Dr. Ali reasoned that based on the “doctrine of necessity” he appointed Hicken.
“Should I allow the country to function without an acting Commissioner?
“In the doctrine of necessity, I appointed an acting Commissioner,” Dr. Ali said.
President Ali, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, maintained that Hicken is the man for the job and those against the decision must say why not him.
Hicken is replacing Nigel Hoppie who has since proceeded on retirement.
Prior to the appointment, Hicken was performing the duties of Deputy Commissioner and was in charge of operations.
Hicken was seconded to the Department of Citizenship in 2019 by the previous A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government.
He became a household name during his reign as Commander of A and B Divisions.
