Dear Editor,
Two articles in the media one headlined; ‘Wider coast guard patrols urged after Waini-River pirate attack’ and the other, ‘Ramjattan: Fishermen must also take steps to protect themselves’ caught my attention.
In one section of the media it was reported that; “Following a recent pirate attack on fishermen in the Waini River, a call has been made for [the] coastguard to widen their patrols.” In another section, Ramjattan is reported to have “renewed his call for fishermen to protect themselves against pirates.” He went on to say that “…he finds it strange that the fishermen are unwilling to take steps to protect themselves.”
All of this seems rather strange in the context of the APNU+AFC’s self-serving narrative that they are doing a fantastic job in respect to fighting crime on land and sea and that “arms and drug trafficking are things of the past.” At one time, Mr Ramjattan had promised to provide firearms to fishermen at sea, but he subsequently back-peddled claiming that it is “too expensive” and that the suggestion was “being criticized not only by persons outside the industry, but the fishermen themselves.”
Now the Minister seems to be in a quandary; he is back to where he was in July 2015 when he said “I don’t know what will be the option.” To make matters worse, the Minister is now complaining that the fishermen are not taking simple measures to defend themselves and that this could save their lives.” Mr Ramjattan lamented that the fishermen, “don’t even want to buy the transponders.” At the same time, he boasted, “I will give them a shotgun; they will go to the police station, collect the shotgun when they are going out, and when they are coming in, they give it back.”
Imagine if Clement Rohee had said when he was Minister of Home Affairs that he would give shotguns to fishermen? APNU+AFC and some sections of the media would have created a political hullabaloo. Mr Ramjattan has no authority to give a shotgun to anyone. A Firearms Licence Approval Board was established by law for that purpose.
In respect to the call for the coast guard to widen their patrols, it is to be recalled that in 2014, based on a contractual agreement with Courtney Benn Contracting Services, the PPP/C government built a floating police station at the cost of $49,905,900.
Outfitting the station with the necessary equipment, etc, was estimated to cost an additional $16.4 million. The station was modelled after a floating base built for the GDF and which is currently located at the mouth of the Pomeroon River.
On completion of the vessel it was assigned the name MV Tamakay, and following a subsequent decision by the Joint Services Coordinating Council, the floating station was deployed at the mouth of the Waini River. GPF ranks were to be trained by Adams and Associates under the leadership of Rouchie EW Adams; however, the police opted to have their ranks trained by the GDF Coast Guard instead.
A document titled ‘Strategy for the conduct of effective anti-piracy patrols in the territorial sea and rivers of the republic of Guyana’ was submitted to the ministry by Adams and Associates, and after some adjustments, it was approved by cabinet.
12 GPF ranks were trained in seamanship and nautical knowledge; maritime operations and sea training were to be done at a later stage.
Of the 12 ranks, 8 successfully completed the course. The training of police ranks to strengthen the marine wing capacity of the Force was earmarked to be an ongoing excercise.
Regrettably, the GPF claimed that it could not, at the time, find additional ranks to continue the training programme and to be assigned to marine operations. An MOU was signed by the GDF, GPF, GRA, CANU and GEA that addressed joint operations by ranks from each law enforcement agency, that were to be stationed on the floating base on a rotating basis.
Why is the floating base at the mouth of the Waini not being utilized, as it was intended viz, to widen the patrols and joint operations of the law enforcement agencies located on the vessel? In addition to the floating station to enhance the capacity of the marine branch of the GPF, a 500HP 42’x15’x5’ aluminium hull twin screw territorial sea patrol boat named Delta Rider, powered by two Detroit Diesel inboard marine engines capable of achieving 25 knots and outfitted with all the necessary technical accessories, was procured at a cost of $69,402,033 from the USA and was shipped to Guyana in July 2014. In addition, 4 patrol boats for anti-piracy operations were procured for the GPF at a cost of $4,943,107.
At the same time, GPF boathouses at Wales, Charity, the New Amsterdam boat ramp as well as the marine headquarters of the GPF were rehabilitated almost 100 per cent after years of neglect and want of repairs.
Apparently, the Public Security Minister was not aware of the existence of a maritime wing of the GPF since in an interview months after taking office he called for the “setting up of a marine wing within the GPF.”
Thus, the bleating of the then APNU opposition notwithstanding, successive PPP/C administrations spent approximately $641.9 million between 2010 and 2014 in pursuance of its Anti-Piracy and Counter Narcotics Strategy. Mr Ramjattan was obviously unaware of the existence of the strategy; he claimed he only became aware of it via a letter writer in Stabroek News.
Soon after assuming office, the APNU+AFC coalition administration sought to ‘adjust’ a US$4 million grant for the security sector from the People’s Republic of China to “suit its new priorities and to include technical support from China to address piracy.” Nothing has since been heard about the utilization of this grant and for what it was used to boost the security sector in Guyana.
The platitudes from government that “The Coast Guard will receive the support of the government to suppress all illegal activities including poaching, fuel smuggling and piracy at sea” will not suffice. As one letter writer stated some time ago: “There is plenty of talk over the years about piracy on our coast and rivers, but too little action to curb this scourge.”
Yours faithfully,
Clement J Rohee
Former Minister of Home Affairs
