Dear Editor,

I take this opportunity to congratulate the President of Guyana and the Minister of Home Affairs for their wisdom and foresight in setting up the Central Intelligence Agency which is vital in the interest of national security. My only hope is that this body will not be used to hound and persecute political opponents as was once practised by the PNC government in the ’70s and early ’80s.

I say this against the background that the police Special Branch has outlived its usefulness. So has the current army Criminal Intelligence Unit which lacks trained and experienced operatives. Also most of Special Branch ranks are known to other members of the force, rendering them impotent in the execution of their covert duties, as most of them now operate out of the police stations, for reasons best known only to the powers that be.

I think that the CIA should be headed by a knowledgeable, experienced administrator of intelligence and not by a handpicked loyalist. A couple of names which come to mind that will carry out that duty without fear or affection, malice or ill will are Henry Chester (former Deputy Commissioner of Police); Eddington Tappin (former Assistant Commissioner: Special Branch); Errol Vanooten (former Task Force Head (Ministry of Home Affairs)); Dr Aubrey Gill (security psychologist); Laurie Lewis (former COP); and Lakeraj (Asst COP), to name a few eligible candidates.

The head of this unit should report directly to the President and should be staffed by its own intelligence resources personnel. However, intelligence received from other agencies can be also processed and managed by the CIA. The agency should avoid as far as possible recruiting ex-policemen or soldiers for covert field operations. They are more than likely to have their covers blown very early. Recruitment should be concentrated in the direction of cane-cutters, barbers, waitresses, prostitutes, market vendors, teachers, nurses and other public servants who can be trained and given part-time contracts as field agents.

The CIA should have an intelligence and a counter-intelligence section, both of which should be headed by knowledgeable intelligence analysts who can be appointed deputy directors. The agency would gather, receive, process and manage intelligence in relation to criminal activities, the preservation of state secrets, the surveillance of suspected terrorist and drug dealers, the tapping of phones and the bugging of the vehicles of suspects. They should also perform presidential duties, eg, serving as an advance party on planned presidential trips, and anything else in keeping with the Constitution of Guyana.

Yours faithfully,
Robert Gates