A high-level security conference between Guyana and the US got underway here yesterday with Prime Minister Sam Hinds conceding that the country needs to get on top of threats such as drug trafficking.
The conference is being held amid growing pressure here for the administration to do more to combat rising crime and also toughen its fight against narcotics trafficking.
The conference being held at the Grand Coastal Inn was organised by the US Embassy’s Military Liaison Office in partnership with the Guyana Defence Force. Speaking at the opening of the conference US Ambassador to Guyana, David Robinson said that Washington and Georgetown are good friends and have enjoyed strong military relations over the years. He said that Guyana was fortunate to be among five states in the hemisphere to be benefitting from top US military training – the other countries being Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina. Ambassador Robinson said that security was a priority for his government and the US is pleased to be assisting Guyana in developing its security capacity. He said terrorism, drug trafficking and other transnational crimes cannot be stopped if old strategies of security defence remained in place.
Prime Minister Hinds said Georgetown needs to get on top of security threats such as drug trafficking and the possibility of terrorism and she needs all the help and assistance that are available. Hinds said that the administration was appreciative of the assistance received by the US over the years, noting that the two countries shared strong bonds. “We have security challenges, we have problems – years ago drug trafficking was not so much of a big thing, but today we have our problems with drugs,” Hinds remarked.
The Prime Minister said the country had great needs in the security sector as well as great limitations. “We are thankful for the collaboration with the US over the years. Whatever differences we have in other areas when it comes to the issue of security we are at one,” the PM declared. He alluded to the discovery on Sunday of an illegal airstrip at Orealla by the military and also the alleged kidnapping of a Guyanese woman and her daughter from their Ruimzeight, West Coast Demerara home, declaring that these two cases highlight the vastness of the country and the security challenges it faces. According to the Prime Minister it is evident that the drug dealers collaborate in carrying out their nefarious activities. “So if they can get together why can’t we?” the PM asked.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon said that the security sector was very important and it remains one of the areas subject to quite a bit of public examination and discourse. Luncheon said that the country’s security sector has benefitted from assistance from several overseas partners over the years. He said that government was hoping that at the end of the seminar security assistance to this country will be put on a more modern platform, noting that it was time those helping Georgetown move away from the formal approaches to providing assistance. The conference which will run over the next two days will feature discussions on a range of subjects, including improved cooperation and security assistance; perspectives on modern security challenges that impact US and Guyana defence policy and the implications of civilian oversight of defence activities. The conference will also facilitate dialogue between senior Guyanese civilian and military leaders regarding Guyana’s role as a partner for specific US security assistance programmes. Rep-resentatives from the Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies in Washington and the US Defence Institute for Security Assistance Manage-ment from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are among the facilitators.
