PRESIDENT OF GUYANA AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, HIS EXCELLENCY BHARRAT JAGDEO’S ADDRESS TO THE GUYANA DEFENCE FORCE OFFICERS’ RETREAT 2006

Today should have represented an opportunity, although belated, for the hosting by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Guyana of the traditional annual conference with the Officers of the Guyana Defence Force.

The arrangements that were put in place to facilitate this year’s engagement, had to take into consideration the current activities of the Guyana Defence Force in the mobilization of the Joint Services. In the circumstances, the output from this activity as organized today could not and would not be comparable to that which would have flowed from the traditional Annual Officers’ conference.

Having said that, I want to affirm that one of the purposes of the Annual Officers’ conference can and will surely be achieved during my presentation today and that is to hold a discourse on the Administration’s current programme for Guyana and particularly the Disciplined Forces.

I would start by examining the context within which that programme had to be constructed and within which it would have to be implemented.

I would first look at the relevant aspects of international politics and economics, merely to observe that Guyana has successfully continued to heighten its image and presence on the world scene. On its own merits among developing country and as a member of CARICOM, Guyana has inserted itself into the western hemispheric decision-making process with regard to the major issues of our times.

Nations organise bilaterally and multilaterally to pursue general and specific objectives of a national, regional or international character. Today, most would agree that the three main problems confronting the world relate to Development, Trade and Security. Those three problems present leaders with interrelated and complicated issues as they attempt to guard the national interest. More powerful nations can and often do operate from positions of strength, while others often resort to collective action to prevail.

It is in that sense that one can view our participation and our contributions at fora such as CARICOM, the UN and its specialised agencies, the OAS, the Rio Group, at the WTO, and the Summit of the Americas among others. We also maintain strong bilateral relationships with many countries in furtherance of our goals. Actually, our hosting of the Conference of the Heads of the Rio Group is testimony to our perseverance and reflects recognition of Guyana’s status in this arena, straddling the South American and the Caribbean geo-political zones of interest.

Similarly, our Chairmanship of the IMF/World Bank Board equally reflects multilateral recognition of Guyana’s efforts in mainstreaming its national economy as a market economy. Also, favourable judgments about our representation of CARICOM at the WTO negotiations have also added to Guyana’s prominence.

We live in an increasingly globalised world and interdependence is progressively characterising international relationships. However, transitional economies like ours, interacting and competing with often stronger interests and interest groups, have to be constantly on the alert so that our national interests are not compromised.

So, in the areas of Development, Trade and Security, the promotion of the multilateral approach is a strategy that holds out greater potential for us in addressing many of the vexing issues of the day. Examples of our success in this area have been the galvanizing of international support to preserve our national borders and the securing of debt relief.

In some areas the going is not as easy. So, in respect of Trade and Development, we are vividly aware of the overall impact of the EU’s unprincipled action with regard to the price for our ACP sugar export to the Union and recently that of the relentless increases in acquisition costs of petroleum products.

We have to must maintain our presence and influence on the international scene, defending our interests and cooperating with like-minded States in finding answers to the problems of the world.

And what about security?

This remains a critical issue on the international scene. Since 9/11, the world has seen greater insecurity and the too frequent resorts to unilateralism in responding to security threats. For developing countries, these developments have had negative impacts. Militarism is costly and diverts funds, human and other resources away from peaceful pursuits. Militarism also breeds reaction leading to agonizing spirals in confrontation and violence.

Efforts that ignore the multifaceted nature of security are doomed to failure. Whether on the domestic scene or internationally, we accept that Security is a collective responsibility, ill-served by selfish promotion of partisan positions.

A pivotal challenge for any government is today’s world is to fashion a domestic agenda that accords with national interests and at the same time, benefit from world developments.

How have we been able to do this in Guyana?

The PPP/C Administration has maintained its decade long focus on promoting the economy, social development and security. Within the logic of the allocations of the 2006 national budget and in the context of the Poverty Reduction and National Development Strategies, those priorities for 2006 are well illustrated. It is the successful implementation of those strategies that would determine the future of Guyana.

At the economic level, Guyana has been buffeted by internal and external factors. Short-term cement and other building supplies pricing have had a significant negative impact on our economy. Internally, natural disasters and crime have created situations that have also impacted negatively on our economic performance.

On the positive side, revenue collection has exceeded all projections. This development surely reflects short term benefits from reforms and investments made in the administration and the operations of the Revenue Authority and expanded economic activities.

The rise in commodity prices of some of our exports and our private sector successes in seizing the competitive advantages that exist for exports of our non-traditional crops, in forestry, in fisheries have also had positive impacts.

Throughout all this, we have maintained macro economic stability characterised by relatively stable exchange rates, acceptable levels of international reserves and single digit inflation. Relatedly, our debt management efforts have seen successes in reducing our stock of debt, our interest payments and the improvement in our overall debt sustainability.

In our assessments, we cannot avoid a resort to comparisons with other developing countries both in our region and elsewhere since many of the internal and external challenges that we face have also been experienced by those other developing countries. In that regard, I can safely say that Guyana has progressed and has been responding appropriately to the challenges. And we have done this while maintaining high levels of investments in the productive and the economic infrastructural sectors, while protecting real wages of workers and pressing on with implementing important initiatives in improving safety nets.

So, one can understand our optimism about the future. And, one can well understand our exasperations and rejection of the skeptics and cynics, the wet blankets. One can also understand why we are resolved to confront totally those who act, conspire with and aid and abet others to deny Guyana its future.

I have always sought to give maximum expression and publicity to the outlook of my Administration about the future of Guyana. We must be consumed with a vision of Guyana so compelling that we can unite around its realization. My Administration has defined that vision, a vision to transform Guyana through Modernisation and Partnership.

We aim to improve the standard of living by reducing poverty, improving social services and housing and expanding employment opportunities.

We aim to transform the economy by making it more competitive.

We aim to work with the Private Sector to promote its development; and we aim to mobilise popular support, hence my Cabinet outreaches helps to garner public confidence in the Administration’s ongoing efforts to develop Guyana.

The most pressing matters, all interrelated, on the domestic front today, relate to the 2006 General Elections, security and the threat of natural disasters.

The rainy season in 2006 unleashed another round of flooding in our coastal and more recently in the hinterland regions. Timely and sustained Government interventions were needed and they were provided. That included not only the budgetary resources provided to improve Drainage and Irrigation but also those provided for emergency relief to affected communities.

Also of importance have been the preparations by the Elections Commission for the 2006 General and Regional elections. My Administration remains fully committed to having Elections held in September 2006. My Administration has joined with others in calling on all stakeholders to uphold and respect the mandate of the Commission as it responds to the challenging demands for a free, fair and transparent Elections process.

My Administration, the Commission and the Donor Community have committed to the execution of an Elections which accords with the highest international standards. My Administration has been fully supported by local, regional, bilateral and multilateral partners in providing the material, financial, technical and moral support needed to execute this Constitutional obligation successfully.

I want to use this opportunity to recognise and to thank all those stakeholders for their ongoing support.

Since violence has in recent times, been associated with the rejection of Elections results, allow me to go in to some details about our plans to provide Security during and after Elections.

We will mobilise fully. The Disciplined Forces will be involved CPGs, Rural and Special Constabulary will also be mobilised. We will ensure that training is done urgently to rehearse all the scenarios likely to be encountered during the Elections period.

Where Security is concerned, 2006 has seen heightened attention to the internal Security sector as troubling events made unforgettable impacts on the society. Well-armed criminal gangs have continued their assault on the lives and property of Guyanese. Significantly, their unbelievable brutality and the indiscriminate nature of their aggression, all point to an added intention of spreading terror within our communities and targeting groups, particular those on the coast land and in the business sectors.

Narco-trafficking has continued to damage our international image as external seizures expose the successes of the drug lords in overcoming our efforts at interdiction and illegally exporting their commodities.

The subsequent disappearance of the high-powered automatic weapons from Camp Ayanganna and the failure to recover them have also added to uncertainty about public safety. The most shocking of the criminal developments was the brutal assassination of the Cabinet Minister, Sataydeow Sawh, members of his immediate family and the brutal slayings at Agricola. These developments have all contributed to the heightened tension in our land, more so in the context of the limited success in addressing them.

The Administration’s responses have been principled and consistent. We have confronted the criminals and we will continue to provide the material, financial and moral support needed by law enforcement agencies. The Administration will work to cultivate the strongest possible correlation of national and international responses to maintain the potency of our fight against Crime.

Now I want to deal specifically with the Internal Security situation. Parliament, in its consideration of the National Budget in 2006, appropriated $3.267B for Current and $190M Dollars for Capital expenditure for the military. That level of expenditure approximated that of the civilian law enforcement agencies and catered predominantly for meeting the expenditure associated with the agreed upon operational stance of the Joint Services for 2006Additionally, it caters for Capital expenditure associated with the acquisition and maintenance of capital stock. Much of the 2006 planned activities of the Disciplined Forces have been annual activities historically funded in the context of our financial and budgetary realities.

As I pointed out earlier, our responses to the heightened criminal activities have called for unplanned expenditure, mostly associated with the Administration’s resolve to mobilise the Joint Services to a level of activity appropriate for a response to our assessment of the internal security situation. Unplanned expenditure has already exceeded the $50MGYD mark during this second quarter of 2006.

Whilst in the last few years, the government has significantly increased allocations to the Guyana Police Force, during the last 2 years, the government has almost doubled the budgetary allocation to the Force. It also recognises that due to the nature of transnational crime and the development of organised crime locally,un both of which foster and support the creation of armed gangs, the Force will have to be modernised and re-organisied to deal with these challenges. To achieve this, government has negotiated a US$20 million from the International Development Bank to institutionally strengthen the Ministry of Home Affairs, modernise the Force by strengthening its crime prevention, reduction and crime fighting capabilities.

This project coupled with the US$25M funded Justice Sector Reform project,t will concentrate over the next 5 years in comprehensively and holistically dealing with the entire criminal justice system and in creating a less violent and more law abiding society.. 

That addresses the financial and budgetary aspect of our response.

Not all of the criticisms by the public are unwarranted as, in the face of the escalating criminal activities, the law enforcement responses have not always been timely or appropriate and likely to inspire confidence in the eyes of the public.

In that regard, we still cannot explain the disappearance of the weapons nor have we recovered them; and we have so far failed to apprehend the perpetrators of the Agricola killings and the killers of Minister Sawh and his family, although a pretty good idea of the identities of the assassins.

To regain and inspire the confidence of the public, we have to achieve more on those and other criminal matters. I want to perhaps be superlative, in communicating the concerns of my Administration. We would never rest satisfied until we have eradicated from our midst the criminal gangs and successfully confronted organised crime in all of its manifestations in Guyana.

I have, and so have members of my Administration, given the greatest possible encouragement and public support to the Joint Services in the face of strident criticisms. I criticise when I feel criticisms are due and commend when this is deserved. But as Commander-in-Chief I remain confident in the capability of the Army.

When the Chief of Staff briefed me on the disappearance of the weapons, my instructions as President and as Commander in Chief, Chairman of the Defence Board and Minister of Defence to the Head of the Joint Services stands, and should again be quoted: “….whatever it takes and wherever it leads, do all that is necessary….”

Recently, the PNCR and other critics of the Administration, as part of their electoral strategy, have sought to link my government with narco-traffickers. My administration believes that the security forces have to pursue all criminals – narcotic traffickers as well the armed bandits. To this end, the Joint Services has been given full support and additional resources to apprehend these criminals.

But more importantly, I want you to ask the Chief of Staff or the Commissioner of Police if either of them was prevented from taking action against anyone, including drug dealers or any person involved in any criminal enterprise.

The answer will be an unequivocal no.

So we will continue to reject these malicious and politically-inspired allegations totally.

We welcome the heightened coordination, collaboration and the joint activities of the law enforcement agencies in fighting crime and responding to the policy guidelines of the civilian authorities.

As we continue to assess the impact of the mobilisation of the Joint Services, I want to be on record as committing to the conclusion of the exercise to re-examine the structure and organisation of the internal security entities, particularly the Guyana Police Force, with a view of arriving at a programmed approach to changes dictated by current national realities.

Crime exerts an unacceptable price on national development, particularly in the context of the newer manifestations of crime, such as internationally-organised narco-trafficking, alien and small weapons trafficking, kidnapping and terrorism. Additionally, the increased resources needed for fighting, crime calls for more attention to developing strong alliances to confront the challenge.

Thus for me, I see for Guyana an acceptance of a committed and principled role for our military in defending the nation and our democracy against those scourges.

And I feel that we must spare no efforts in bringing to bear the broadest possible correlation of forces to support this noble endeavour. Prioritising internal security and the fight against crime and violence in the context of our financial and budgetary realities, will call for greater sacrifices.

Chief of Staff, let me record my recognition for the effort made in making this Officers’ retreat a reality despite the competing demands of our times.

Thank you.

June 28, 2006

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