Dear Editor,
Firstly, the security of the nation must take precedence over many other so-called developmental projects. It is government’s responsibility to secure the citizens and the investments of all and sundry, local and foreign.
Secondly, a commission for the restructuring of the Joint Services made recommendations which to date have not gained the required attention they deserve. While some of the recommendations are doable, government must summon the will to orchestrate the necessary changes.
Thirdly, since security is a major issue in any investment climate, government has no excuse for neglecting action in this area. As such programmes, legislation and all means and methods must be utilized to achieve the desired goals and objectives along these lines.
Fourthly, military service must at some time become mandatory if crime and insecurity in general seem endemic and incurable. I made a similar recommendation for community policing (as national service) in which youths can be given credits for years of services rendered. After all, if protection is needed, from whom will it come if not from among the nation, the very beneficiaries of that protection?
Fifthly, all must understand compulsory military service is part of many countries’ programme of defence and security. While the police force is the authentic law enforcement body in any nation, when the security of citizens is threatened, the military is required to boost law enforcement. A former chief of staff of the GDF made this quite clear when he addressed the armed forces on the paradigm shift for military action in civil society. This has become universal.
Sixthly, there needs to be a controlled decentralization of the police and military in the three counties for sound reasons. These include foremost sharing the burden of management in such a wide base marked by the three counties, separated by such large rivers, mountains and forests. Quick response and mobilization is the watchword here. This does not mean autonomy by any stretch of the imagination.
We need to regionalize the disciplined services, with the individual components of army and police assigned with and commanded to carry out regional mandates compatible with their various counties, and where the necessary recruits from more populated regions would be assigned stints in regions less peopled.
In the light of the above, law enforcement units among citizens and territorial (border patrol) protectors will be better deployed and managed by the resident regional commissioners and military command.
More drastic action is required with regard to the inciters of race hate and violence. In addition, serving officers are often found guilty of heinous crimes and aiding or training criminals. Such public mischief must be dealt with severely.
We had enough of Blackie, Fineman and the cohorts of marauders slaughtering the unarmed and innocent. What are we waiting for? We must not wait until more chaos engulfs the nation for internal action to be taken.
A national council (of the disciplined services) on security and defence would be an oversight body that will meet on a required basis to monitor reports on activities in each region.
Yours faithfully,
Seopaul Singh
