Conscription into the army of able-bodied males ages 18 to 25 and establishing a gun court are among the recommendations to be further discussed at the national stakeholders’ meeting today.
The meeting is the second to be held jointly between political parties and civil society. Prior to the last meeting held a fortnight ago, the political parties and civil society met separately with President Bharrat Jagdeo, a week before.
The meetings were in response to calls for the national stakeholders to deal with the security situation following two murderous attacks on the coastal village of Lusignan and the interior township of Bartica in January and February.
Concerns have been expressed that the recommendations, which were put together by the Office of the President and were received by most persons yesterday, were not sent out earlier to allow for discussions and decision-making at the level of organisations.
Apart from the recommendations of the PNCR, the AFC and GAP/ROAR, which were made public, the PPP/C and TUF have also presented a number of recommendations.
The PPP/C recommended that the two parliamentary select committees meet as soon as possible to conclude their deliberations on the 2004 Disciplined Forces Commission Report and Security Sector Reform Project. It also suggested that communities take some responsibility for their own security, through community policing groups and pointed to the need for a transparent and accountable justice system, citing the lengthiness of cases, judges not writing their decisions to clear the system and the backlog of cases.
The PPP/C is also calling for focus on the implementation of present plans, while the opposition is also calling for implementation and review of some of the plans.
TUF has suggested that the government introduce conscription for every able-bodied male between the ages of 18 to 25 in the Guyana Defence Force, while pointing out that this would balance ethnicity in the army.
Apart from the Private Sector Commission’s recommendations, presentations were also made by representatives of the labour movement and on behalf of women, the indigenous community, children, the Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Human Rights Association, the Guyana Rice Producers Association, and the Indian Arrival Committee.
Recommendations from the religious community included the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), and representatives of the Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities.
The IRO has suggested that in dealing with the crime situation the government harness the skills of overseas Guyanese in crime fighting; revitalize the cadet corps in schools to raise youths with a strong sense of patriotism and recruit the finest scientific minds for policing and military duties. It said confidentiality in detective work must be assured and urged the institution of a gun court and a traffic court.
Amerindian representatives have suggested that captains and rural constables be included in the fight against crime and that communication between the hinterland communities and the security forces in Georgetown be improved.
From the women’s representatives there has been a call for the adoption of a gender awareness approach to the design of plans and programmes, as well as people-centred plans, which also indicate attention to the communities in which they operate. They also urged compliance with the several conventions ratified by the government.
The labour movement has expressed concern about the conditions of service of the joint services, both civilian and military, and urged that the consultation process on security be institutionalized.
