Was there a picture attached to the letter or text message?
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DWYER ASTAPHAN, leader and founder of community activist group Operation Rescue, has debunked statements made by Commissioner of Police Celvin ‘CG’ Walwyn indicating that he had attached a picture of the late Noel ‘Zambo’ Heath to a letter requesting permission to use noisy instruments at a meeting in Bank Street.
In his explanation to what transpired, Astaphan said, “My first letter to Commissioner Walwyn was dated October 11, 2011 to hold a meeting at Wigley Avenue on October 20, 2011 from 7:30 p.m. until midnight. On the night of Thursday, October 13, 2011, there was a murder in Newtown, and on the following morning there was a murder in Trafalgar Village. On the same morning of October 14, I wrote another letter to the Commissioner indicating my intention and desire to switch from the Thursday night meeting on October 20 at Wigley Avenue to Bank Street on the afternoon on Friday, October 21 from 5:00 p.m.
“After I sent the second letter, I got a letter from the Commissioner either on Monday, October 17 or the following day, which was dated October 13, 2011, indicating that permission was in order with regard to the use of noisy instruments for the meeting at Wigley Avenue.”
The former government minister said he had tried to get in touch with the Commissioner to find out if he had received the second letter which indicated his intentions.
“However,” he added, “I couldn’t get him, so I spoke to the Deputy Commissioner and he gave me Commissioner Walwyn’s cell phone number. I called the Commissioner on that number but I did not get a response. So, I sent him a text message.”
In an effort to confirm there was no picture attached to the text message, Astaphan displayed the contents of the message on his BlackBerry to this media house.
“Neither in any letter did I send to him, nor in the text message that I sent to him was there any attachment of anything; whether a photograph or anything whatsoever. In fact, I am not sure that the technology allows one to send an attachment along with a text message. And if the technology has allowance for that, I don’t know about it. I certainly did not sent him any attachment with regard to any communication that I sent to him; whether hard copy or electronically,” Astaphan said.
Astaphan emphatically stated there was no need for that, noting it is an outrageous thought and that he does not want to get into any quarrel with the Commissioner of Police.
“But there is a very glaring inconsistency in what he is saying,” Astaphan added. “Because, originally he had said to the media that I had attached a photograph of Mr. Noel Heath to a text message that I had sent him. Members of the media had seen that text message and none of them had seen any photograph. Then on last Thursday he had a press conference with the media, in which he said that I had attached a picture of Mr. Heath in my letter to him requesting the use of noisy instruments with regard to the meeting.
“Well, that is an inconsistency because at first he said it was attached to the text message and afterwards he said to the letter. That is an inconsistency which only he can explain because I can’t explain that. What I will say categorically, is that I attached no such thing to any communication I sent to him.”
Proclaiming that he did not want to cast aspersions or create suspicions with regard to whoever was on the receiving end of his letters, Astaphan implied, “But if on his desk, stapled to my letter or close to my letter, was a paper containing an image of Mr. Heath or anybody else, it is somebody else who would have done that after receipt at his end, because it certainly did not originate from me. There is nothing more outlandish and outrageous than the suggestion that it was my doing.”
The former minister took umbrage at the accusation made by the Commissioner and declared he had asked the top cop in a letter, dated October 20, 2011, if he could retract his statement privately or publicly, but to date Walwyn had not responded or acknowledged receipt of it.
“On that very day I saw things on the Internet and I also got calls from many people who indicated that people believed that I did attach a picture of Mr. Heath to the text message I had sent to him.
“So, once it became public I had to respond to it. I am totally respectful of the gentleman, totally respectful of his office and totally supportive of all the good efforts of the police and other security agencies to bring peace and order to the country. I have been a minister of national security, I understand a lot of what is going on, on all sides of the issue, and I am deeply aware of the sensitivities involved. That is why I indicated my intention and desire to shift from the Thursday night meeting at the Village to the Friday afternoon meeting at Bank Street. Bank Street is a neutral area; it is not a neighbourhood of any particular community,” Astaphan explained.
In comparing the Commissioner’s denial of granting the use of noisy instruments for his intended meeting at Bank Street with that of the recently held People’s Action Movement’s meeting at the Ferry Terminal and others to follow during the Christmas/Carnival season, Astaphan said he hopes the same measurement tool would be used.
“I am hoping that the same yardstick, the same criteria were being used to measure security risk at five o’clock on a Friday afternoon for the People’s Action Movement to have a meeting at the Ferry Terminal, as are used to have a five o’ clock meeting at Bank Street for Dwyer Astaphan and Operation Rescue and for citizens to have a meeting. Also, if Bank Street were a security risk for a meeting, the use of loud instruments, for me or something in relation, is it going to be any less of a security risk for the Carnival Committee or anybody else to have any function there five o’clock on a Friday afternoon or at any other time?”
Astaphan explained that the Constitution states if anyone desires to hold a public meeting in a public place, he or she “shall not less than 48 hours and not more than 14 days previous to the time that which they desire to hold the public meeting notify the Commissioner of Police in writing of his or her intention to hold such meeting as well as the time and place”.
He further explained that one does not have to seek permission to hold a public meeting, but permission must be sought if one intends to use noisy instruments such as loud speakers.
Last Thursday (Nov. 3), Commissioner Walwyn held a press conference with members of the media in the Parliamentary Lounge at Government Headquarters.
At that meeting, a number of issues were addressed with the aim of building a better relationship between the media and the police.
Questions were also asked of the Commissioner and among them was the reason for denying Astaphan permission to use Bank Street as the venue for his meeting.
“With regard to Dwyer Astaphan, he requested permission to meet in The Village…I granted permission. One day I got a text on my phone telling me that he wants to have it in Bank Street and I told him no. And I explained to him - I have a Master’s in Security Management - we had two situations here that were gonna be very antagonistic, and for me to permit a meeting in that intersection it was gonna be more than if something broke out, than we could handle. And for that purpose, for the public safety, interest in public safety, I said no. And that’s the reason why he was not there. He can have his meeting in The Village all day long, nobody gonna stop him.”
Commissioner Walwyn noted that he would continue to deny Astaphan permission to use Bank Street because the location “is a security nightmare to have that meeting because we are still conducting two investigations. And to have people in that location, knowing what we know, it’s not going to happen. He can have his meeting anywhere he chooses, but not there. That is a bad place! People may end up getting hurt…I am not going to have that on my head”.
Prior to this statement, the Commissioner had told the press that Astaphan had sent him a text message with a picture attached.
One member of the press in reminding the Commissioner of his earlier statement, noted that Astaphan had denied sending him any attachment, and asked if it were a fact.
“Yes, he did,” Commissioner Walwyn retorted. “It is in my office. I got a letter with a newspaper printout with Zambo…and that’s why I made the decision because we know things that you don’t know. And for me to permit that meeting for this purpose in that area, I am telling you, it was not going to be good. And that’s why I stopped it. And we are still investigating both of those murders and I am not going to let him put it in that area because it is going to be a logistic nightmare. People may end up getting hurt; I am not going to do that.”
