The Police Department has had four ministers in the past year: Kareem Musa, Oscar Mira, Julius Espat, and now, Michel Chebat.
But what does the PUP's first police minister think of this?
Today we spoke with Kareem Musa, who fully supports his colleague and the amalgamation of a National Security Ministry.
But what did he think of the interim job Julius Espat did? Well, he said it was necessary for the Minister of Infrastructure to see the state of the stations for himself:
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration
"I mean, historically, that has always been the case under the United Democratic Party. I think when the government changed in 2020, we had so many ministers that won their seats, so many area reps that had won their seats that perhaps it became necessary to bifurcate some of those ministries. And so you had the Ministry of Home Affairs once again separated from Defense and Coast Guard. But I think it's excellent to have them unified. The defense and protection of our country, our national security, all of those things go together. And so I think it's perfect for this time."
Reporter:
"What do you think about the new decision to have Michel Chebat take over the ministry?"
Kareem Musa:
"Wonderful choice by the Prime Minister. As you know, Mr. Chebat has a legal background. He is an attorney-at-law, and I'm pretty sure he dabbled in criminal defense law, but overall, having a legal background is very important, not just in creating legislation to help to fight crime-as you have seen over the last six years of us in office, several bills have been brought by the Ministry of Home Affairs-but also in developing policies. And I think that he is an ideal fit for the ministry at this time."
Reporter:
"Do you think that Julius Espat should have been left with the portfolio?"
Kareem Musa:
"Let me say this. I think Julius was a phenomenal insertion by the Prime Minister at a very critical juncture for the Ministry of Home Affairs. And the reason I say that is because I held that portfolio for six years, and we had a lot of buildings and offices that became very dilapidated. And certainly that would bring down the morale of the Police Department if the police officers are not comfortable in their environment. That is something that would severely impact their morale. And so, to have the ministry responsible for infrastructure actually go in and see the state of those buildings and to do those repairs in three months, I think it was a wonderful insertion at that time. I would want to advocate that every two years you have the Minister of Infrastructure in to Home Affairs to have these repairs done. So it was timely. I think he did a wonderful job in boosting morale. And again, we are now transitioning to Mr. Chebat."