The US Embassy-sponsored Guyana Civil-Military Relations Conference which opened last evening will continue today with discussions on defence strategy and the role of non-traditional actors in security policy, even though the government is snubbing the meeting.
The meeting, being held under the auspices of the US Embassy and the US Southern Command, was scheduled to open last evening at the Grand Coastal Inn, Le Ressouvenir with a reception.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon last week told the media that the Guyana government would not be taking part in the four-day conference because the Cabinet did not think it reflected suitable input from the government.
Embassy spokesman Rolf Olson told Stabroek News yesterday that the invitations were sent to several representatives of the government and it was the government’s prerogative to attend or not to attend.
Invitations were also sent to all within the security sector, including the State apparatus – the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force – as distinct from the government.
At his press briefing, Dr Luncheon, who is also the Secretary to the Defence Board said that the government, its departments, agencies, employees and functionaries would not be taking part in the activity but he did not indicate whether representatives of the State machinery would be attending.
On the other hand, Olson said that the response from civil society, including the private sector and non-governmental organisations has been positive.
As to why the government was not taking part, Luncheon said that the government was “not of the opinion that the actual programme itself reflects a suitable input from the Government of Guyana. We questioned the absence of our integral involvement and we would not be participating.”
Topics for discussion include the rule of law and its relationship to security implementation mechanisms, strategic resource prioritization and management, public diplomacy, and other leadership concepts necessary for establishing security in a democratic society.
Invitees include Members of Parliament, active duty and retired members of the Guyana Defence Force, representatives of the British and Canadian High Commissions, regional military leaders, members of academia, media executives, and other relevant public and private sector representatives who have an important stake in security issues.
The conference, described as non-partisan and apolitical, is intended to facilitate an emerging national and regional public-private partnering process with the goal of defining and addressing relevant security challenges that the United States, Guyana, and its Caribbean neighbours continue to face, the US Embassy release said. It added that in a world of limited resources, such challenges to public defence and security require a broad dialogue, fresh approaches, and meaningful action.
