The PNCR says that the rebuilding of the Foreign Ministry is an imperative if Guyana is to respond appropriately to the myriad of challenges which are part of the landscape of the 21st century.
The PNCR, in commenting on the recent appointment of the former Minister of Amerindian Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed the hope that she will be given the “tools as well as the resources to rebuild this premier institution of government which has with the advent of the PPP/C administration been reduced to the indignity of almost a failed institution and a department in the Office of the President.”
In a press statement yesterday at Congress Place, Sophia, the party further noted that the portfolio of Minister of Foreign Affairs will make great demands on the intellectual capacity of Rodrigues, “as this area of endeavour encompasses matters of great complexity and specialised knowledge, as well as broad institutional support.”
Meanwhile, the party is demanding that the report on the torture of two Guyana Defence Force (GDF) soldiers and Victor Jones and Patrick Sumner be made public without undue delay.
The PNCR said also that the report “should not be subject to emendations based on partisan political considerations and the desire to protect the guilty.”
The party said, meantime, it is awaiting the investigation into the torturing of David Zammett, an investigation that was promised a very long time ago by the Minister of Home Affairs.
Moreover, the PNCR reiterated its position that there should be an independent investigation into the torturing of the individuals named, if the rule of law is to be upheld.
And the party maintained that “neither the Guyana Police Force nor the Guyana Defence Force can properly investigate themselves.”
Referring to reports in the press that the report on torture of the two GDF soldiers and the two civilians is now ready, the PNCR suggested that the administration may be delaying its publication because it is not favourable to the government or those in the GDF “who are responsible for this barbaric activity.”
