President Donald Ramotar yesterday said strengthening of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will depend on economic growth, but urged the army to ensure that it gets value for money in its spending.
The president made the comments against the backdrop of Chief of Staff of the GDF Chief-of-Staff Commodore Gary Best speaking of the “necessity” to re-capitalize the force. Although he is willing, the Commander-in-Chief said in his first address to the annual officers’ conference of the GDF that Guyana is a poor developing country and “we must be conscious too that we still have many more people in this country that we need to empower so that they also can lift themselves out of poverty.”
GDF officers convened at the army’s headquarters, Camp Ayanganna, for the two day conference, under the theme “Consolidating our transformation process to enhance national defence and security,” and, in his welcoming remarks, Best said that the officers’ corps is anxiously awaiting the president’s vision for the development of the institution.
He recalled that four years ago, a process aimed at transforming the GDF was initiated and saw an intense examination of all the institution’s systems, including strategy, tactics, administration, leadership, education and human resource management. Out of this process, a strategic defence review will be produced, a copy of which will be in the President’s hands in a few months time for defence board deliberations, Best said. “This review represents the sum total of all our findings after two years of hard work,” he stated, adding that it will provide government with guidance for the formulation of the nation’s strategic defence plan.
Best said too that the GDF is confident of the government’s ability to balance development priorities with defence requirements. He spoke of the “necessity” to re-capitalize the force, saying that though this has started, “our infrastructure and military material… require upgrades and in some cases replacement.” Military sea, land, and air lift remain critical not only to traditional national defence and security measures but necessary also to execute other operations such as provide help and protection and protect Guyana’s resources, Best said. He stated that significant emphasis should also be placed on opening up overland routes to remote areas of Guyana, maximizing strategic locations and the ability to access the hinterland to confront the challenges “associated with the management of our ecosystem and biodiversity conservation plans through joint GDF-government partnership.”
Further, Best also noted the challenges the nation faces in the education sector and pointed to the GDF’s effort in this regard- the instituting of a programme to raise the level of education of the ranks, enabling them to complete their secondary education. He said that he would like to see a separate allocation in the budget to allow them to fully launch their academic education programme. He also spoke of the army’s friendly bilateral military relations with other nations and stated that it is an opportune time to strengthen and deepen this relationship through more prominent exposure for the officers. The GDF as well as the joint services are committed to the defence and security of the nation, Best said. “We are professional officers and we continue to be loyal to the government of the day.”
‘Responsibility’
In his address, Ramotar highlighted financial prudence. “I want to assure you that I am willing and ready to do more in strengthening the army,” the president said. “That of course will depend on the growth of our economy,” he added while expressing confidence that this would happen. The commander-in-chief said that “we must also see that we get value for every penny that we spend.” The president said that the army must ensure that it gets value for money in its procurement noting that he sat in the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly for five years “and some of the things that I saw and heard I didn’t like.” Ramotar also urged the officers to pay attention to moral issues.
He also emphasised responsibility, saying that never again should the army lose equipment like the 30 AK-47s, some of which were used in the 2002-2008 crime wave. “We must protect what we have,” he declared. He also lauded the army for its role in battling the criminals at that time.
The Commander-in-Chief charged the GDF to anticipate other security challenges and said that it must be prepared for the future. “I hear a lot of news about gun-running and drug smuggling across our borders,” he commented. He said that the army must concentrate on human resources and other resources that are needed though in his view human resources is the most important and should be focused on.
The president said that he is ready to support lifting the educational standard of ranks to the secondary level. He also said that is concerned about giving soldiers “life skills” which they can use to make a living after they leave the army. He also said that housing for soldiers is another area that should be looked at for improvement.
Ramotar said that the officers must lead by example and he noted that integrity and character is vital for the morale of the army.
Ramotar told the officers that they are meeting at an important time when many changes are taking place nationally and internationally. One of these is the changes in the role of the military the world over with security being one of the most important factors for social and economic development of any country, he asserted. As a society develops, the challenges in this field become greater, he added.
The president noted that traditionally the military was fundamentally concerned with the security of borders of the country and while this role has not changed, the fact that criminals have access to more sophisticated weapons and improved communication cannot be ignored. Ramotar said that on a global scale, drug trafficking is a major problem and there is a need for a global approach to fighting this scourge. “In this regard, the Guyana Defence Force’s links with other military is extremely important,” he said, listing links with the US and other countries on the continent as vital.
“The government is also working hard on its diplomatic front to secure the country,” the Commander-in-Chief stated. He said that successive administrations have worked overtime in strengthening relations between Guyana’s neighbours and further afield. “At the presidential level, I will work to continue building good relations with Guyana’s neighbours,” he said.
Ramotar spoke of expanding relations with Suriname, saying that he would extend the relationship to new fields and to both countries’ mutual interest. The relationship with Venezuela remains strong while relations with Brazil are good, he added.
The president identified Brazil as vital, saying that the South American giant holds immense possibilities for Guyana. He pointed out that the Portuguese speaking nation had recently become the 6th largest economy in the world and said that there is much room to develop relations with the country. ”Expanding relations with Brazil is very important,” he declared, while noting that great possibilities exist in the area of agriculture, transportation, energy and commerce. The relations are in Guyana’s strategic interest, he said.
Relations with Guyana’s continental neighbours can also serve to assist in deepening relations between the continent and CARICOM, the Head-of-State said. He stated that the economic woes faced by CARICOM countries can be eased through this relationship. “Expanding relations with Brazil and the market on the continent could very well be an answer to many of those problems for our Caricom neighbours. Guyana’s geographical location could serve to facilitate these relations and to help improve Caricom-South American cooperation,” Ramotar said.
The president said that he sees great possibilities for more rapid development in the country. In the mining sector Guyana is becoming one of the major destinations for mining at this point in time, he said. In March, a major mining conference will be held in Canada and Guyana will be right up on the agenda, the president said. He added that these hold huge possibilities for development and will help to further equip the GDF when all the projects come on stream. Large-scale agriculture is another area of growth while innovative ways of generating revenue such as health tourism and eco-system services are also being examined.
