Two parliamentary parties: the AFC and GAP have written President Bharrat Jagdeo reiterating the need for a new national security plan and said they are disturbed at the blame throwing among political leaders over the Lusignan massacre.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) and the Guyana Action Party (GAP) in a joint letter to President Bharrat Jagdeo dated February 4, and released to the media yesterday, called on him to present to the nation a new national security plan with clear deliverables and timeframes for implementation by tomorrow. The plan, they said, must address, “in addition to the other ills in society, the phenomenon of an emerging insurgency and other security maladies.” They said, too, that the plan needs to be unveiled as a matter of urgency.
The parties said the country was heading towards failure and collapse if interventions were not made immediately. They said while all leaders had a role to play, the ultimate responsibility rested with the President.
Asked about the AFC-GAP call for a new security plan, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon said yesterday at a press conference he was sure “all and sundry” were in possession of the Security Sector Reform Plan since it was tabled in Parliament and it would be the subject of ongoing parliamentary oversight and monitoring during implementation.
The donor community, particularly the UK Department for International Development and the United Kingdom government with the Guyana government have identified the specific areas of the security reform strategy for implementation, he said, adding that it was a bilateral engagement, terms and conditions of which could not be changed unilaterally. He noted that the British High Commissioner to Guyana has already indicated a timeframe for the implementation of different aspects of the programme, which gets underway by month end.
The AFC and GAP also called on government to convene a conference on governance and transformation of the state in a month’s time, bringing together national stakeholders who would be aided by trained facilitators.
Meanwhile, Luncheon said the government would not engage in discussions with PNCR Leader Robert Corbin on the massacre or what responses the government has made in relation to the issue.
Referring to Corbin’s letter to Jagdeo offering assistance in dealing with the response to the security forces’ actions in Buxton by providing video footage of destruction of property during searches and requesting adequate details on proposed plans for compensation, Luncheon said that he did not see any significant motivation for the administration to meet the Leader of the Opposition while he engages in “duplicitous behaviour” with regard to what has taken place.
He said that Corbin has also taken action to have a motion moved in Parliament to deal with the Lusignan massacre and that was the best place for him to address his concerns.
The administration, he said, had made itself clear on the position it would adopt until it was satisfied that there was redress and a more balanced and forceful acknowledgement by the PNCR that Buxton was a haven for criminals.
Barring this, he said, the likelihood of a bilateral engagement was slim since the administration was not prepared to sit with a political partner who continued to deny the existence “of the reality.” He said this was indicated to late PNC leader Desmond Hoyte as well as Corbin and others.
