Our island has witnessed a sensationalised police action with the arrest of Navin Ramgoolam and the searches of his premises at Riverwalk. It was clear from the onset that the police was onto something else whilst the Roches-Noires option seemed to have reached a dead end.

Our little paradise island in its entirety has witnessed a sensationalised police action with the arrest of Navin Ramgoolam and the searches of his premise at Riverwalk. While the police has searched Dr Ramgoolam’s property and made the discovery of around three million rupees worth of local and foreign currencies the matter is now newly coined as the ‘Riverwalk’ case. It was clear from the onset that the police was onto something else whilst the ‘Roches Noire’ option seemed to have reached a dead end.

Indeed what is refreshing to observe is that nobody is considered above the law and that justice has to take its course no matter what. However, how many times have we seen a serving Prime Minister being questioned by the police or being investigated for wrongdoings in this country?  What is not so great about this whole experience is the fact that we have not changed a bit in our attitude towards suspects and how the police tolerates violence and aggression from members of the public. Dr Ramgoolam is a suspect, or at least is being considered as one, and it is right that he is treated as innocent until proven guilty. This is a sacrosanct principle that has to be applied to each and every citizen of this country irrespective of profile or status.

Our justice system is here to ensure that nobody walks away unpunished for any crime that they may have committed. Our faith and expectation of the police force is to bring to justice anybody that is suspected to have committed a crime but also to ensure law and order while they do so. These two important institutions need to co-exist and be allowed to work independently without any interference or hindrance from the executive or anybody to that matter.

The arrest of Dr Ramgoolam, understandably being a high profile figure, has attracted a lot of interest but the lack of planning has meant that a number of individuals had gathered with a clear intent to cause trouble. Why did the police not use its power to disperse people from the scene? This would have provided a safer environment for them to fulfil their duties? Sometimes it seems we are making a few steps backwards rather than moving forward when it comes to democracy and civilians’ human rights.

Dr Ramgoolam has a right to be treated with dignity and to have a fair trial as much as we, the public, have a right to see justice being done.