00:00Speaking outside the Red House today, Opposition Senator Faris al-Rawi leveled scathing criticism of the government's new special operations
00:07bill, saying it is, quote, dramatically unconstitutional.
00:11There are some very dangerous provisions in that law.
00:15Number one, the separation of powers.
00:17The position where the prime minister has the veto power over the officer in the police service who will run
00:26a special operation is a troublesome aspect.
00:30Not for this prime minister only, but for any prime minister.
00:34No political figure outside of a state of emergency must have that power.
00:40So I've given you one, that's just the prime ministerial veto power, an unholy and unwholesome power.
00:46That should never happen.
00:47He draws reference to Jamaica's version of the zones of special operations to criticise the power given to the prime
00:53minister.
00:54This is nothing like the Jamaican law as they pretend it is.
00:58In the Jamaican law, these powers do not exist in the prime ministerial hands in the way that they are
01:03saying.
01:03That's done by an independent entity.
01:05It's called Indicom.
01:06And if you look to the Jamaican context, you will see what I'm seeing.
01:10Al-Rawi also took issue with another aspect of the new bill.
01:13The second aspect, of course, you see that right to arrest, that right to search, that is in complete contradiction
01:21with section 46 of the Police Service Act.
01:25You have to have a very careful reason.
01:28Now, we have a host of laws that allow you to have rooming warrants, rooming search warrants, etc.
01:34But this kind of measure is incredible.
01:37It is something that genuinely causes me deep constitutional worry.
01:41Al-Rawi says the way the government is rushing to get this bill passed is an indicator that something is
01:46amiss, and it does not bode well for the bill.
01:49In fact, it causes him deep concern.
01:52But he is still hopeful of having discussions to find a remedy.
01:56This on the law is something that means significant work.
02:00If they were serious about passing this law, they would take a constitutional pause and come and have a discussion
02:07on the law.
02:07It's capable of being remedied.
02:09Dominic Romroop, TV6 News.
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