Filed under: Everyday Commentary
On the fifth day, PNM supporters continue to wave their balisiers. As per rule page 21, section 4 B, clause 3.2, of the Balisier playbook which states, “Once there is suspicion of wrongdoing in the opposing party, one must call for their resignation,” (this is a standard clause in all opposition rulebooks) there are calls for the resignation of former CCN reporter Sasha Mohammed, who just happens to an advisor to the Prime Minister.
Their claims seem justified, as recent news reports suggest that the former journalist may be behind “threatening” emails against two of her former ‘colleagues’ at the Trinidad Express.
Surely she must resign.
Nope.
There are couple reasons why.
Again according to PP playbook page 5, section 14, clause 6-B-2, any member or associate of the People’s Partnership government can choose to ride out a controversy surrounding them until it has been exhausted by pursuers and ultimately forgotten.
Hey they’re just running their plays people!
No but seriously, there are a couple reasons why Sasha Mohammed wouldn’t be encouraged to hand in a resignation letter.Let’s look at the facts, or at least the facts the general public has been made aware of due to the media.
On Friday, according to the Trinidad Express newspaper, “Sasha Mohammed, special adviser to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, was yesterday (Friday) issued a stern warning by police after their probe uncovered that the threatening e-mail sent to Express editor-in-chief Omatie Lyder and reporter Anna Ramdass *(allegedly) originated from the computer at her home.”
*writer’s note: I placed that allegedly there.
Now that story later reveals that the police discovered that the email was sent from the IP address which is attributed to Mohammed’s residence.People who come from an Information Technology background or know enough about computers and the internet are probably piecing together where I’m heading but in essence, all that says is the police know from where the email purportedly came.
However, do they know who actually sent the emails?
While the fact that it did supposedly came from Mohammed’s residence is a “thing that would make you go hmm…”, there must be a reason that the police have only warned Mohammed thus far, and not yet charged her for sending a ‘hate email’ or ‘cyber bullying’.
That raises another question, just what power or reach does the Cyber Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service have?
While the Express has been doing their very best at collecting quotes to further bury Sasha Mohammed’s reputation, and of course seeing as their editor in chief and star political reporter were the targets in the ‘attack’, I don’t see it as them taking it personally, they and basically every other media house have failed to ask or state if the police can take any further action against Mohammed.
In fact the Cyber Crime Unit remains much a mystery.
Most of the public only found out about its’ existence because of this scandal. So there is clearly ambiguity as to what law, if any, has been broken.
The apparent non-existence of the laws to aid the Cyber Unit may have actually allowed the Express on Monday to publish the comments, and names, of Facebook users off their walls without requesting their permission in their attempts to further demonise Mohammed. Could this be irony?
According to Mohammed’s lawyers, “We are instructed that despite the admonition issued by the police to her, curiously, no specific offence was identified to our client as being the subject of investigations by the police.”
Later on they add, “The much touted ‘cyber bullying’ concept is not a criminal offence in Trinidad and Tobago, and is as such an alien concept which forms no part of the laws and jurisprudence of this country.”
In today’s Guardian however, senior counsel Theodore Guerra states that Mohammed’s alleged action is a criminal offence and she should have been charged. However in that article both he and another SC Osborne Charles, while saying Mohammed’s “alleged act” is criminal they do not qualify what with what she should be charged. Another considerably younger attorney, Daniel Khan informs in the same article, that it could amount to common assault. But again that’s subject to interpretation, do the police have enough to qualify it as that?
So does the law really exist? Are Mohammed’s lawyers exploiting facts or manipulating wider ignorance? Has Mohammed committed a crime that Police can prove she committed?
I’d encourage the legal minds or legally aware to enlighten me on the actual scope of the Cyber Unit.
Another question can be asked is if the Cyber Crime can trace all the Janice Thomas emails with regards of less than best wishes (which so many people are eager to say they got) can also be traced to Mohammed’s IP address. If it isn’t traced back to her, well what does that mean exactly?
But the circumstantial evidence certainly would raise an ominous cloud either way. Lines have already been connected between Mohammed and Reshmi Ramnarine, and educated members of the public may not be too daft in understanding Omatie Lyder, Anna Ramdass and Mohammed didn’t exactly car pool and have lunch together while they all shared the working address of Express House, Independence Square, Port of Spain.
This is argument most would probably point at, there’s too much negative air surrounding the issue and as such she should resign for the good of the Partnership.
Again no.
A resignation in this case, particularly since Mohammed doesn’t live in a world run by FIFA where you are presumed innocent upon resignation, would be almost an admission of guilt. As well as another damaging blow to the PP following well, every misstep they’ve had.
Similarly, for the very silent PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar to fire Mohammed, would raise similar suspicion unless she of course gives some other reason (which we won’t believe) for her dismissal. I’m sure the PM, herself a lawyer also understands how delicate the legalities are currently.
I however don’t read too much into her silence, as she has remained mum to the media ever since her husband went to the hospital to address a heart condition late last week. Her husband Gregory Bissessar is to undergo surgery today, in case you weren’t aware.
So, here we are.
An intriguing game of chess.
Will the Mohammed, using the “I have done no wrong” defense stand versus an agitated media house and their colleagues.
Will it be checkmate or stalemate?
2 Comments so far
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Plain Talk, Good English 
Quit talking tata…IP addresses are traced to individual computers and not to physical addresses…from they I stop reading….take ypur yellow blinkers off.
Comment by Me June 23, 2011 @ 1:25 pmThank you for reading a part of my blog but maybe you should have continued reading sir.
Comment by pedrotercero June 23, 2011 @ 1:30 pmI never said they were traced to physical addresses, I pulled the quote referring to the IP address being traced to her address from the Express article, maybe I wasn’t clear in highlighting that or pointing out how that could be interpreted.