Dear Editor,
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed his concern about the lawfulness of the armed forces following orders of the coalition government after March 21, 2019, when the government allegedly becomes illegal.
Mr. Jagdeo sought to make clear that he was not trying incite disobedience among members of the armed force to avoid any claim of seditious activity.
But his position is in sharp contrast to the harm done to the standing and viability of the armed forces by successive PPP/C governments.
From 1992 to 2015, the allocation to the military hovered around 1.2 % of the total budget. The use of outdated equipment became regular and necessary. The forces were rendered incapable of their security mandate including the protection of the country’s borders, waterways, and skies.
With better weaponry, criminal gangs with impunity engaged in cross border narcotic transactions, money laundering, and massive smuggling. They also killed hundreds to further their nefarious schemes.
In one notorious case, sophisticated spy equipment which was seized by the police from associates of drug kingpin, Roger Khan, was returned to them on the express instruction of a PPP/C government minister. It is noteworthy that the equipment could only be imported into Guyana with the approval of the government and that it was not so imported for the armed forces.
For the 2019 budget, there has been an almost 67% increase from the previous year or nearly 2% of the budget. President Granger has stated that some of this money will be used to acquire drones, light aircraft and inland patrol boats.
The PPP/C has consistently criticized these forces labeling them as supporters of the PNC.
Many Guyanese should be justifiably concerned about whether a Jagdeo-led PPP/C government (Irfaan Ali is but a glimmering youthful sideshow) understands the magnitude of the security needs of the country, and is then willing to assign the requisite monetary resources.
The recent history of the PPP/C ‘s governance and its continuing suspicion of the armed forces provide no assurance that the Party does.
Thus Mr. Jagdeo’s expressed concern for the posture of the military after March 21 is an irony of Essequibo proportions given his demonstrated disdain, neglect, and degradation of this essential institution of a modern functioning society.
Yours faithfully,
Derrick Arjune
