No intelligence gathering organisation supplies the final source with raw data

Dear Editor,

Let me make a confession I am no security expert but I possess the minimum level of common sense to know that the recent comments by former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo in his defence against allegations of closing the Guyana Defence Force’s Military Criminal Investigation Department (MCID) were both illogical and downright idiotic.

First the standard operational procedure (SOP) of any military organisation is that the Head of State is briefed by the head of that organisation, in Guyana’s case, the Chief of Staff is responsible for briefing the Head of State. The only way a junior officer can do so is if the President visits a field operational site or that officer is so designated by the Chief of Staff. Therefore it is grossly irresponsible for the President to make such a critical National Security decision based on a whisper from a colonel.

Secondly no intelligence gathering organisation supplies the final source with raw data for several reasons. All the information gathered in the fields must be processed to determine authenticity and relevance to the operations at hand. Also to preserve the integrity of the investigation some information decimation is timed. Hence “sterilized” information is normal worldwide in the intelligence sector.

Therefore, for a man who presided over the Guyana Defence Force as its Commander-in-Chief for twelve years to make such a puerile statement to the public gives a clearer idea why our security architecture is in so much turmoil and one more reason why all Guyanese should vote for change on May 11th, 2015.

Yours faithfully,

Bevon Currie